A sign of good things
by nestofdreams
Summary: A decade ago Draco left England needing a change. Now he's back and a chance meeting with a trio of children leads to his life taking an unexpected turn. Friendships are formed, reconciliations made and all in all, he discovers what it is to be part of a family.


Draco held Luna close, snuggling his head into the crook of her neck as he let the familiar scent of rose water wash over him. He sighed, and then hid a smile in her hair as her phoenix feather earring tickled his cheek. It felt good to hold her like this again. When he finally let go he was sure he had a sappy grin on his face, but as always Draco knew that with Luna he could let down his mask with no hesitation. The petite witch got on her toes in an attempt to kiss his forehead but even so he still had to bend down for her to reach. She gave him a loud smack and patted his hair gently, a wistful smile on her face.

"It's wonderful that you're finally home Draco."

Draco smiled. "That's the seventh time today that you've said that."

"Well, it needs repeating. You've been gone far too long." she chided gently as they walked out onto her veranda.

Draco sighed, looking out at the fields that surrounded Luna's quaint house. The last time he'd been there had been a decade ago and he'd been fresh out of Hogwarts. He'd visited a few days after her father's funeral. He would have liked to have come for the funeral itself, but with memories of the War still fresh, he hadn't wanted to cause trouble with his attendance. So he had come later on, holding her close as they'd sat on this very veranda, watching the fireflies dance in the mellow colours of twilight. Luna hadn't shed a single tear though; instead choosing to tell him about the wonderful things she and her father had done together, a smile firmly on her face the whole time.

Many would have found their friendship to be shocking and surreal at best. After all, Luna had once been held prisoner in his family dungeons and that was a good enough reason for her to hate him for eternity. So when he'd come across her by the Lake, somewhere in the October of his eighth year, Draco had blurted out an apology and then closed his eyes, waiting for the harsh words that were sure to follow. Instead, he'd felt a gentle pressure on his arm and opened his eyes to find Luna smiling beside him, her small hand holding his arm. That simple exchange, before she walked away had left him warm for the first time since the War had ended. After that, it had been only a matter of time before he held a special place his heart for the whimsical girl, whose ideas were more to the side of mad, and whose nature was sweeter than anyone he'd ever known.

He turned to her now and found her with a small frown gracing her face. "I _meant_ to come back sooner?" he tried weakly. Luna crossed her arms, her frown deepening and Draco winced.

"Alright, I'm… sorry." She didn't look convinced though so he tried again. "Luna I really am sorry, but I'm back now aren't I?"

"Draco." Just his name, and yet it was filled with warning.

"Fine fine, I'm a complete arse. I should have come back ages ago. In fact I shouldn't have left in the first place. I made my mother miserable. I abandoned you when you've always stuck with me. I, Draco Lucius Malfoy am sorry." He bowed his head to emphasize his point, only lifting it when he heard a giggle.

His eyes narrowed. "You think that's funny, do you?"

Luna nodded. "I do actually. You were very earnest."

"Well," he huffed. "Am I forgiven or not?"

"I really shouldn't forgive you just yet… but I suppose I will. After all, I'm hoping some bufflepops will visit me tonight and holding onto negative thoughts are sure to drive them away."

"Of course Luna." he said with as much gravity as he could muster.

"And after all, you did owl me quite frequently, and floo-call too."

"I would never cut you off Luna." he said gently. "Not you."

"Oh I know." she replied pleasantly. "I wasn't afraid of _that_. I just missed having you here, is all. Well now," she clapped her hands together, "That's out of our systems, how freeing. I'm terribly sorry you have to go now though. I'd ask you to stay for tea or even dinner, but as I told you, you caught me just as I was heading out."

"Of course Luna, don't mind little old me." Draco placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "It isn't as if I've been gone for ages and yet you're still ditching me to go on – Merlin help me – a _date_. Sweet Luna how you have wounded me."

"Oh stop it you." Luna laughed as she swatted his arm. "I told you, it's a business meeting."

"Is that what the kids call it nowadays?" Draco smirked.

Luna shook her head with sigh. "You are shameless."

"And yet you love me."

"That I do." Luna replied softly and Draco felt a warmth spread through him. He kissed her on the cheek one last time before finally strolling away from the house.

He was pleased to note that the wards he'd set up were still in place and seemed to have even been strengthened. He wondered who had done it. Most probably one of those Gryffindors that Luna seemed so fond of. Eventually he reached the edge of the wards but on a whim he decided to take a walk. After all, it had been ages since he'd last been here and he'd always enjoyed his strolls with Luna before. He set off, lifting his face to bask in the sunlight that streamed down on him. He didn't really have a destination in mind, and decided to just walk until he grew tired and then _apparate_ back to the Manor.

About fifteen minutes into his walk Draco came to a halt, suddenly feeling as if he was no longer alone. He was now walking in a more woodsy area, and the trees and shrubs cast shadows all around him. He listened and sure enough he heard a rustling in the bushes, the sound coming closer and closer. Draco felt a rush of panic shoot through him. What if it was some wild beast that would surely make a meal of his succulent form? Or worse, what if it was a wizard, possibly on the run from the law – a murdering psychopath perhaps? The rustling got louder and Draco finally had the sense to reach for his wand and why the bloody hell had he kept it in his robe pocket? He struggled to get it out and just as it seemed to come untangled, a small form came rushing out of the bushes.

Draco did _not_ shriek like a girl. He didn't. He simply gave a… manly squeak. It was hardly a squeak even – more of a gasp really. A _manly_ gasp.

The _thing_ came to a halt in front of him, and once he had gotten over his initial fright…er, _shock,_ he saw that it was not a thing at all, but a small child. A little boy with a mess of inky black hair and a pair of the biggest green eyes he'd ever seen. Those eyes were now staring up at him unblinkingly and Draco felt oddly unsettled. It was almost as if he'd seen them before. The child continued to stare, then he opened his little mouth and Draco noticed that his bottom lip was trembling violently. _Oh_ _no_ , surely he wouldn't…

The boy began to bawl.

Well now, Draco had done a lot of things in his life that he was ashamed to admit, but never had he reduced a child to tears. It was unnerving, and he didn't understand why the child was crying in the first place. Draco hadn't even said a word and surely he wasn't so horrible to look at that a child would break into hysterics at the sight of him. He'd never understand the workings of the mind of a child.

The rest of his inner monologue was effectively cut off though, when the child suddenly clutched onto his robes. Draco now faced a dilemma. Should he brush the child off harshly, and risk more bawls? Or should he allow him to sniffle all over his leg, surely ruining the fabric with bogeys and drool and whatever else came out of crying toddlers? In the end, the boy made his decision for him by ceasing in his sobs and looking up at him, nose sniffing pathetically and eyes wet and huge. Draco cursed himself for suddenly developing a weakness for those eyes. He hesitantly placed a hand on the boy's head.

"There there," he crooned in his best cheer-up-and-kindly-get-the-fuck-off-me voice. He tried to remember how his mother had comforted him when he was little. "It's going to be alright. You're a big boy after all, and big boys don't cry." Merlin, he was glad no one was around to see this little exchange.

The boy seemed comforted by his words, and even loosened his grip on his robes. He sniffed one more time before lifting his chin bravely, obviously wanting to act like a 'big boy'. He was rather cute actually and Draco found himself patting his head again.

"Now that you've calmed down a bit," he said, squatting so he was more at level with the boy. "Why were you crying, and –" he looked around, "– why are you all by yourself?" Really, what were parents doing these days – allowing adorable little children to run around in the wilderness by themselves! If he ever met the little one's parents, he would give them a piece of his mind.

His new companion sniffed again and rubbed a small hand across his eyes. "Lily fell in a hole." he announced gravely.

Draco blinked. Surely he'd heard that wrong. "A lily fell in a hole?" he asked slowly. The boy nodded vigorously. Well, apparently he hadn't misheard it.

"Come." said the boy suddenly and scrambled back in the direction he'd come from. Draco could do nothing but follow behind as quickly as he could. He didn't want to lose sight of the tiny figure, valiantly leading his way through the undergrowth. Really, all this fuss over a _flower_?

Eventually they came to a clearing and Draco saw another little boy kneeling at the edge of what looked to be a fair sized hole. His little friend quickly made is way to the second boy and Draco knew at once that they were brothers. The other one looked to be a few years older but he had the exact same mop of black hair, though when Draco approached the two, he saw that this one had bright brown eyes instead of green.

"Will you help us?" he asked stoutly, and again there was something so familiar about that unwavering stare. Draco gave a curt nod, even though he wasn't so sure he was willing to climb down into a filthy hole, just to retrieve a sodding flower. He'd simply levitate it out if they were so adamant about it. So he approached the hole and peered down, and then almost fell in himself. A little girl stared up at him with wide, terrified brown eyes, her red hair hanging messily around her tear-streaked face.

Draco wasted no more time, quickly casting a levitation spell on the girl, and gently easing her up out of the hole and onto the ground near the others. The next thing he knew, there were squeals all around him and he was being tackled by three excited children

OoOoO

"No Lily." Draco admonished sternly, trying to lean his head away from the little girls' grabbing hands. "You can touch, but no pulling."

Lily giggled and clapped her hands together. "Dwaco!"

Draco couldn't help smiling at that. "Yes, my name is Draco." he said as he bounced her lightly, resulting in more giggles. She really was a sweet little thing and seemed to have some sort of fascination with his hair, now lightly petting it as if it were a kneazle. He'd never held such a tiny person in his arms before, but he'd quickly found out that the minute he put her down, she'd try to clamber onto his head.

He leant back onto the tree trunk with a sigh. Al, his green eyed friend was sitting on his lap and seemed content to simply snuggle into the crook of his arm. He looked to be on the verge of dozing off, probably tired out by his dash through the wilderness. His big brother James, was leaning against Draco's other side, and seemed intent on talking his ear off.

"….and then, there was this giant _crack_! And the hole appeared out of nowhere! And _whoosh_ , Lily fell down! See, Iwas gonna jump down an' get her, 'cause I'm the olderest –"

" _Eldest_." Draco corrected instinctively.

"Whatever." James waved it off. "So I was gonna swoop down and get Lily, but then _he_ –" he jabbed a finger in Al's direction and the boy gave a sleepy smile. "– he was all 'But if you get stuck too, what am I s'posed to do?' and I was all 'Don't worry Al, I'll save the day just like dad!' Hey Draco, have you met my dad?"

Draco tilted his head. "Well, I'm not sure James. You haven't deemed to tell me _who_ exactly this heroic, day-saving dad is."

James laughed. "Oh yeah! Well, he's –"

Suddenly there was the now familiar sound of rustling in the bushes, though this time, whatever it was sounded much _larger_ and it seemed to be crashing about in an almost frantic manner. Draco wasn't taking any chances, especially with the children around, so he quickly (and effectively) pulled out his wand, pointing it in the direction of the sound. Lily had stilled and tightly wrung her arms around Draco's neck. James too had ceased in his prattling and huddled closer to Draco, while Al seemed to have woken up fully and was tensed up with a hand gripping his shirt tightly. They all waited in silence. There was more rustling and then through the bushes came a –

 _Potter_?

Harry sodding Potter was standing before him, his atrocious hair even more of a mess than usual with leaves and twigs and _was that something moving?_...sticking out all over the place. He seemed to be wearing a shirt that had to be at least ten sizes too big for him and an ugly pair of baggy pants. Add to that, the fact that he was also wearing only one sock and no shoes and was looking around with the eyes of a fanatic, Draco concluded that in the years following the War, Potter had finally gone round the bend.

He was about to call out to the fallen hero in his best placating tone when the children suddenly sprang up from his arms, rushing towards Potter in a way that would surely spook him and result in a frenzied attack. Just as Draco was about to intervene though, he recognized the excited cries coming out of their mouths.

"Dad!"

"Daddy!"

"Dada!"

These were _Potter's children_?!

Draco felt as if he'd been petrified by a basilisk as he watched Potter's frantic look morph into one of utter relief. He knelt down and took them all in his arms at once, peppering kisses all over them. And then he smiled and Draco felt the breath leave him in a rush. Since when had Potter been able to smile like _that_? Draco watched as the children were cuddled within an inch and felt uncomfortably as if he was intruding on a private moment. Eventually Potter seemed done with his barrage of kisses and held them tightly against him one last time before letting them go and standing up. Only then did he look over and finally see Draco still sprawled under the tree. Draco hurriedly got to his feet, cursing when he stumbled.

"Malfoy?" asked Potter in a tone of the utmost disbelief. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"It's a free country isn't it Potter?" Draco sneered back, feeling his hackles being raised. Seems Potter was the same self-righteous prat as always, brilliant smiles notwithstanding. "You'll be telling me next that you own the whole field."

Potter looked sheepish for a moment before apparently returning to his element and glaring. "No one has heard word of you for the past ten years! Did you expect me not to be even the slightest surprised to see you now?"

"Keeping tabs on me, are we Potter? Didn't know you cared so much." Draco said with a sly smile, feeling absurdly pleased when Potter's cheeks bloomed pink.

"S'not like I care." Potter mumbled so that Draco just caught the words. He continued in a louder voice. "We had a batch reunion about five years ago and you weren't there. Neville asked after you for some reason and Luna told us you'd left the country. That's all." he finished in a defensive tone.

"If you say so." Draco couldn't help saying. He'd forgotten how fun it was to rile Potter up. "And besides," he continued, shrugging indifferently. "It's not like I'd have come for it even if I'd been in England. I'm surprised you'd even consider inviting me."

Potter uncomfortably shuffled his feet but didn't contradict him. A moment of silence passed when James suddenly chimed in.

"Dad, you know Draco?" he asked with all the innocence of a child.

"Oh yes, we went to school together." Draco replied lightly, having noticed that Potter seemed unsure of how to respond to James' query.

"Really?" Al asked with wide eyes. "Were you friends?" Now it was Draco's turn to not know how to respond. He looked up from Al and when his eyes met Potter's, he finally understood why he'd found Al's eyes, and James' stare, so familiar. They were all Potter.

"No," he said slowly, turning back to the Al. "We weren't friends."

"Why not?"

Draco swallowed. "Well, your father didn't like me very much." He sent Potter a defiant look which he returned.

"Why?"

Still looking at Potter, Draco replied. "I wasn't very nice to him. I was rather…mean in fact. Not to say that your father was nice to me, I assure you he wasn't." he added.

"Is that why he calls you 'Malfoy' and not 'Draco'?" asked James.

"Yes, but my surname _is_ Malfoy."

"Draco is a pretty name." Al announced suddenly, and this brought a smile to Draco's face. "Thank you, Al. My mother will be pleased when I tell her that." Potter was now staring at him as if he'd announced that he was planning on marrying a hippogriff and moving to Alaska.

"What's your mum's name?" James asked.

"Narcissa."

Al nodded. "That's a pretty name too. My mommy is Gineva."

"Ginevra." Both Draco and Potter said at the same time and again Potter regarded him with a stunned expression.

Draco coughed awkwardly. "You see, I knew your mother from school too." he directed this at Al who had come back to stand next to him.

Lily also came tottering over and held her arms out imperiously. "Up." she commanded with all the flair of a queen. Draco could do nothing but grin and scoop her up, having grown accustomed to holding her by now. She immediately latched onto his hair and he laughed.

"So tell me Potter," Draco began, but the Gryffindor was just staring with an odd expression on his face and didn't appear to be listening. "Potter?"

"Wha...?" Potter visibly shook himself out of his stupor.

"Really Potter." Draco huffed in exasperation. "You have the attention span of a sparrow."

Potter crossed his arms. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Draco made his way towards him, and saw that he'd stiffened. He mentally rolled his eyes. Did Potter think he was planning on attacking him and then making off with the children?

"I was just about to ask you if you normally allowed your very young children to gallivant around the meadows by themselves."

If Potter had been stiff before, he was practically carved from stone now. "I assure you, I do not." he grit out. "We were all at the Burrow and they snuck out the moment my back was turned. Why do I even need to explain myself to you?"

Draco bristled. "Oh I don't know, maybe because if it hadn't been for me, Lily would still be in that bloody hole over there!"

"What? Lily fell in a hole?" Potter looked frantic again, and began hurriedly checking her over for injuries. As she was still in Draco's arms, it brought them into close proximity and Draco got a whiff of gingerbread. He wondered for a moment if Potter had been baking before he'd come after the children, and then wanted to bash his head on a rock for wondering in the first place. It wasn't as if anything Potter did interested him in the least.

"She had a few scrapes and bruises." he offered, wondering why his throat suddenly felt dry. "Nothing serious though, and I healed them up."

"You did?"

Draco found himself staring into green eyes that were much closer than he'd initially expected. He took an involuntary step back.

Potter gave Lily one last appraisal before softly saying "Thank you."

"It wasn't a problem."

Another stretch of silence passed between them and this time it was decidedly more awkward.

"Hey Dad, aren't you s'posed to officiously introduce us?" James broke the silence once again. "'Cause you already know Draco and Auntie Hermione says it's rude not to introduce people."

"Well Jamie, didn't you already introduce yourself to him, seeing as you already know his name too?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't officiously!"

" _Officially_." Draco put in.

"Whatever."

Potter made an odd noise and it almost sounded as if he was stifling a laugh, but when Draco looked at him, his face was completely serious.

"Why don't you all introduce yourselves then?" Potter suggested. "I'm here so it'll still be official enough."

James seemed to understand this logic and nodded. He held out his hand which Draco solemnly clasped. "Hullo, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mr James Sirius Potter."

"It's very nice to meet you Mr Potter." Draco gave the boy a firm handshake. "I'm Draco Lucius Malfoy."

Al also held out his hand. "I'm Albus Severus Potter." Draco shook his hand as well.

Lily giggled and patted his cheek, drawing his attention to her. "And who might you be?" Draco asked with a smile.

"Lily!"

"Yes sweetheart, but tell him your whole name." Potter encouraged.

The little red head drew herself up. "Lily Luna Pottah!"

"Good girl." Potter really did look much better when he smiled. Not that Draco cared if he smiled or not of course! It was a simple observation.

"Hey Dad, can Draco come back to the Burrow with us?" James suddenly asked.

"Um, I'm not so sure…" Potter glanced at him uncomfortably. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea Jamie."

"Why." Al asked innocently.

Draco saved Potter from having to come up with an excuse. "I can't anyways. It's growing late and I really should be getting home. Perhaps another time?" he said smoothly.

"Promise?"

"Uh…"

Lily tightened her grip around Draco's neck. "Want Dwaco!" she announced loudly.

Potter sighed. "Come to Dada, Lily. Draco has to go home now." It was odd hearing Potter use his given name. Odd, but not necessarily bad.

"No." Lily was adamant as she clung to Draco as if her life depended on it.

"Lily…"

" **No**."

"Well she obviously inherits your stubbornness." Draco joked and Potter shot him a _look_. "Come on Lily," he tried to unwind her arms from around his neck. "Draco needs to leave now."

" **No**!" Lily held on like a koala and started sniffing.

"Uh oh. She's gonna start crying." James put in, rather unnecessarily in Draco's opinion.

"Lily," he tried again. He really didn't want another one of Potter's offspring using him as a human tissue again. "If I promise to visit you all will you let go?"

The little girl gave a sniff but nodded her head. "Good. Then I promise to come visit you as soon as I can." Behind his back, Draco crossed his fingers, knowing that it was juvenile but he really did feel guilty as he saw the little faces light up at the idea of him visiting. So he'd stooped so low that he was lying to toddlers now.

Lily finally allowed herself to be transferred to her father's arms, but not before placing a big wet kiss on Draco's cheek. Surprisingly Potter didn't seem to mind. In fact, he didn't even tense up when Draco gave both boys pats on the head, or when Al ended up latching onto one leg while James took the other.

"Well, I'll be off then." With a wave, he turned on the spot and _apparated_ back to the Manor, catching a glimpse of the family waving back at him just as he was whirled away.

What an odd day.

OoOoO

A week later found Draco in Diagon alley. Surprisingly he hadn't been hexed yet, and though he had received a few looks, no one had said anything to him either. He was even tempted to test his chances by going to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink. However, before he could implement this thought, he was suddenly tackled from the right. Before he could even come to terms with what had knocked his breath away, another one tackled him from the opposite side. He gasped out in pain and was even reaching for his wand when he heard two very familiar voices exclaim "Draco!"

Sure enough, the mini hurricanes turned out to be Al and James, and they did not look happy. Oh, he was in for it now.

"You said you'd come visit." James stated blandly, crossing his arms in a pretty good imitation of his father.

"You _promised_." Al put in, also crossing his arms.

"But you never came." James continued.

"We _waited_ for you." Al said in a tone that made Draco feel like the lowest of the low.

"Boys, I –"

"James, Albus!" Another familiar voice cut through the air and Draco caught a glimpse of a dark head making its way through the crowd, a tiny red head firmly on his shoulders. Great, more Potters.

"We're over here Dad." James yelled, so loudly he put a _sonorous_ to shame.

Soon Potter had reached them and he gave them a stern look. "How many times have I told you to _never_ leave my side when we're out shopping?"

James seemed to consider this. "A million bajillion times?"

"And yet you never listen." Potter sighed.

"They're your sons Potter, would you expect them to do otherwise?" Draco found himself saying, in spite of his previous plan to make a quick getaway while the boys were distracted.

Before Potter could say anything, Lily decided to make herself noticed by springing from her perch on Potter's shoulders towards him. Luckily his days as a seeker had left him with quick reflexes and he instinctively dropped his bags and caught her, cradling her against his chest. The girl even had the audacity to smile angelically up at him while he was busy trying to get his heart to stop pumping like the Hogwarts Express.

"Merlin's balls, Lily! Do you have a death wish or something?" Draco fumed. "I mean I know having Potter as a father must be both a bother and an embarrassment, but surely it hasn't led you to wanting to end your exceedingly short life."

"Hey!" Potter sounded affronted for some reason. "I think she just wanted you to carry her. She seems to be rather…fond of you." he ground out as if he was in pain.

"Hard to get that out was it, Potter?" Draco quipped with a smirk. "Well it's not really a shock that she likes me so much. After all, I _am_ extremely charming."

Potter gave an uncultured snort. "Charming isn't the word I'd use to describe you." he said, with a quirk of the lips.

" _Ehem_!"

They turned to James who looked rather put out by the lack of attention.

"Yes James?" Potter asked.

"Draco never came to visit!"

Potter winced. "Well, I'm sure he was just busy. You know us grownups, always have something to do."

"Well is he busy now?" James demanded.

Draco would later excuse his sudden loss of sense to be due to too much time spent in the sun that day, because surely if he'd had his wits about him, he wouldn't have answered James' query with a "Not busy at all actually."

Potter gave him a look that clearly said 'you are an imbecile', while James and Al gave twin whoops and pounced on him again.

"Great!" James cheered. "Then you can come with us."

 _Oh hell no._

Draco shot Potter a panicked look but the git just stared back at him impassively.

"Listen, I'm not so sure if…" he trailed off as the boys' faces fell. "I mean, I'm not busy but – Potter?" The prat only shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah Malfoy, you did promise to spend some time with them and you aren't busy right now." he said, his lips twisting into a rather vicious smile. "You should come with us for sure. It'll be loads of fun."

"So Draco's gonna come watch the film with us, Daddy?" Al asked in a hopeful voice.

Potter smiled. "It seems he is. Isn't that right _Draco_?" Now Potter looked a bit too pleased with himself for Draco's liking. Very well then, two could play at this game.

"I humbly accept your invitation Potter." Draco said with the most dazzling smile he could muster. It must have worked too because Potter looked taken aback for a moment.

James whooped again and did a small dance that made Lily squeal with laughter. "Dwaco come?" she smiled up at him and he nuzzled his nose into her cheek.

"Yes, Draco come."

Potter gave a loud cough and Draco gave Lily one last nuzzle just to spite him before looking up. He didn't look angry though, and even bent down to pick up Draco's bags.

"Thanks." Draco said as he took them from Potter. "So are we leaving now?"

Potter shook his head. "The film starts at four thirty and I still have some shopping to do. Meet at the Leaky by half past three? That should leave us with time to spare even though we have to take the tube."

Draco had no idea what a 'film', or 'the tube' were, though he had an inkling they were Muggle. Nevertheless he couldn't back out now and he refused to look like an ignoramus in front of Potter so he just nodded.

"Good." Potter said, taking Lily back onto his shoulders. "We'll see you then. Oh, and Malfoy, wear Muggle clothes. Casual." He smirked when he said this and Draco had a sudden urge to stick his tongue out at him.

"Bye Draco." The boys chirruped together and Draco waved as the children followed their father into the crowd. Soon the family was out of sight and Draco wondered for a moment if he had bitten off more than he could chew.

OoOoO

Draco stood outside the entrance of the Leaky Caldron, nervously plucking at the hem of his shirt. He'd arrived almost half an hour early but instead of sitting inside and ordering something to eat or drink, he'd stood outside like an idiot. He didn't know where the nerves were coming from but he blamed it on the fact that he hardly knew what they were going to do. His mother had noticed that something was up but hadn't said anything even when he'd come to tell her he was going out with 'a friend' and wasn't sure when he'd be back. She hadn't even asked about his attire, simply telling him to have a nice time and to let her know if he wasn't coming home for the night. She most probably thought he'd gone clubbing. Speaking of which, perhaps after this he could find a nice Muggle club for some dancing and shagging.

"Malfoy, you're early." A voice said behind him and he jerked forward, tripping over his own feet. A hand grabbed his elbow, preventing him from falling on his face and for a moment he was pulled back against a firm body. Draco gulped.

"I'm fine." he said, pleased when his voice didn't shake. Potter let go of him and Draco thankfully stepped away before turning around.

Potter was dressed in a plain green t-shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and faded Muggle jeans. Draco had to admit, the man looked good in them. Said man was regarding him with a bemused smile on his face and Draco instinctively _occluded_ his mind in case Potter was a _Legilimens._

"I'm not early, _you're_ late." Draco found himself saying before he could stop himself.

If anything Potter looked even more bemused now. "I did say we'd meet here at half past didn't I?" he asked. "If my watch is correct, then it's only a quarter past."

"You came after me which makes you late." Draco had no idea what he was saying anymore. His mouth seemed to be doing a Longbottom impression.

"Whatever you say Malfoy." Potter shrugged.

"Where are the children?" Draco asked, looking around. "Aren't they coming too?"

"They'll be here in a bit. Hermione is bringing them."

"Granger?"

"The very one. She's using the kids as a cover while she goes shopping." he added with a laugh.

"A cover?"

"Yeah. Ron thinks that she's taking them to visit George, but she's actually buying a wedding anniversary gift for him. She's trying to top what he got for her last year.

Draco blinked. "They actually got _married_?"

"Er, yes. Is that a problem?"

Draco smirked though his next words brought a twinge of hurt. "If I ever talk to Blaise again, he owes me a thousand galleons."

"I…don't understand." Potter looked rather like a lost crup now.

"What's there to understand? It's simple. I haven't been in contact with Blaise since I picked the wrong side of the War, but back when we did talk, we made a bit of a bet in fifth year. I bet that the Weasel would end up with Granger while he bet that Granger would end up with _you_. Needless to say, I had this bet won from the beginning." Draco said modestly. "Now if I can only find the bastard, I can get my money." He tapped his chin. "He'd usually be in Spain at this time of the year but unless they've elected a new Minister of Magic, he's not allowed back there. Potter, are you alright?" Draco asked curiously. Potter looked like he'd just been hit by a _confundus._

"I'm fine." he said in a strained voice. "But er…I have to ask, how could you be so sure Ron and 'Mione would end up together."

Draco snorted. "Please, I've known since third year at least, maybe even second year. It was plain as day that Granger had a thing for Weasley. Honestly she'd sometimes regard him with the same look she'd give books and that's saying something! All that had to happen was for Weasley to get a clue, and mind you I was a tad bit worried about that part. Blaise was practically ecstatic when he was dating Brown but really, who in their right mind would choose _her_ over Granger?"

Potter gaped. "Did you…did you just praise Hermione?"

Draco scowled. "I wouldn't call it praise, merely speaking the truth. Brown may have good assets, or so the others tell me, but she's a few ingredients short of a potion if you ask me."

Potter gave a sudden snort of laughter. "Merlin Malfoy, could you be any ruder?"

"If you think this is rude, then you don't know me very well." Draco shot back, suddenly realizing that he and Potter were actually having a civilised conversation! Would wonders never cease?

Potter grinned. "I'll take your word for it. Anyways, tell me why Zabini isn't allowed in Spain and what does it have to do with the Minister?"

"I wonder if your noble Gryffindor heart can handle it." Draco said with a smirk.

Potter unexpectedly gave him a smirk in return. "You've intrigued me now. Let's hear it."

"Well, there's not much to tell." Draco said with a shrug. "Apparently the Minister didn't take too kindly when he found out that Blaise had been shagging his wife."

"He did not!"

"I assure you he did. It was the talk of the dungeons all of sixth year. Even I heard about it and as you of all people know, I was a little distracted that year."

"So Zabini was seeing the Minister's wife and he found out?"

"Oh, no the only reason he got to know was because the wife told him herself."

"Why would she do that?"

Draco smirked again. Potter was going to flip. "Let's just say that she didn't take it too kindly when she found out that Blaise was also shagging their son."

Potter choked. On what, Draco had no idea but he choked nonetheless. "Easy Potter. I warned you beforehand, didn't I? And anyways, that isn't really all that shocking. The son was quite the piece of arse. Honestly, if I'd known Blaise was shagging him that summer, I'd have asked him if he was willing to share."

"Enough Malfoy." Potter begged and covered his face with his hands. "Anymore and you'll kill me."

"Wouldn't that make a good story for the papers? The Boy-who-killed-You-know-who, finally done in by a bit of risqué gossip. Skeeter would have a field day."

Potter laughed. "It would make a pretty headline wouldn't it?"

They drifted into a comfortable silence and Draco wondered if this was what it was like to be Potter's friend. Eventually Potter broke the silence with a question.

"I was wondering, did you have to go shopping for those clothes? I never pegged you as the type to own jeans."

Draco found himself flushing as he looked down at his own jeans and the light blue button down he'd worn over them. "You said to wear casually didn't you?" he said defensively. "And of course I didn't have to go shopping. I do wear Muggle clothes Potter, have for years now."

"Huh? Well they look good on you." Potter smiled.

Before Draco could dredge up a response, the door to the Leaky opened and a boy of around ten came out. He had a head of bushy hair that reminded Draco of Granger for a moment, but when the boy caught sight of Potter he gave an excited cry and his hair suddenly turned into an exact replica of Potter's while his eyes turned green.

Draco could only gape as the boy was engulfed in a hearty hug by Potter. Just then the door opened again and Potter's brood came trooping out, James holding Lily's hand on one side while Al held the other. Granger was right behind them.

"Malfoy." She gave a curt nod which Draco found himself returning out of shock, and then turned to Potter and the boy.

"Edward Lupin!" she barked and the boy looked sheepish, hiding behind Potter. "We've told you before, you cannot just change your appearance when in the Muggle world. You're lucky no one else was around or you'd have been in big trouble."

"Sorry Aunt 'Mione." he mumbled and his hair quickly melted in to an unassuming brown whilst his eyes also turned brown.

"Hermione, thanks for bringing the kids." Potter said, giving her a hug. "Sure you can't join us with Rosie and Hugo?"

"Can't Harry." Granger sighed. "Rosie still has a fever and I think Hugo has caught it too. It should go away in a few days but they need rest. Let me know if it's a good movie and I'll take them to see it later with the others. I have to go now. Bye Harry. Kids have fun." She turned to go back into the Leaky. "Good to see you back Malfoy." she added with a small _smile_ and then was gone, leaving Draco still gaping like a fish.

"Better close your mouth before you catch flies Malfoy." Potter's teasing voice made Draco close his mouth with a snap.

"Come on," Potter continued. "We have to walk to the station."

"Up Dwaco." Lily said, toddling over to Draco and he swung her up onto his shoulders the way he'd seen Potter do before.

They set off but after a few minutes Draco found the metamorphagus child walking beside him with a curious look on his face.

"Are you Draco Malfoy?" he asked.

"Er, yes. Yes I am. And you are?" Draco asked.

The child regarded him with a thoughtful expression. "You look like her." he said cryptically. "I'm Teddy Lupin."

Teddy _Lupin?_ "Are you… Remus Lupin's child?"

"Yup!" the child replied excitedly. "You knew my dad didn't you? He taught you at Hogwarts?"

"He did, and I can honestly tell you that he was a really good teacher. Probably the best DADA professor I had at Hogwarts, including Snape."

Teddy beamed. "You knew my mum too." he said surprisingly. "Gran says you were cousins which makes us cousins too! I've never had a cousin before."

"Who's your grandmother?" Draco asked in shock. _Cousins_ , the child said?

"Andromeda Tonks and my mum was Nymphadora." Teddy replied. "Your mum is Aunt Cissy, right?"

Draco stared at the boy, struck speechless. His mother had told him about her eldest sister who had married a Muggleborn. Though his aunt had been disowned and labelled as a blood traitor, his mother had never spoken an ill word about her and Draco could see that she missed her sister dearly. Draco had never met his cousin Nymphadora but he'd heard from his mother that she'd died in the War. He'd had no idea she'd left a child behind – his own cousin in fact.

Draco tried to swallow around the lump that had suddenly lodged itself into his throat. He stared down at the smiling child, left orphaned by the War. Apart from his mother, there wasn't anyone else in the world that Draco could call his family. Lucius had long since passed away, Azkaban being too much for his health, and Draco hadn't even come back for his burial. He wondered what it would have felt like to be like Teddy, never knowing the feel of a parents' love. He looked up and found Potter, laughing at something Albus had said. Potter would understand just how Teddy felt, and Draco suddenly felt ashamed of himself. When they'd been around Teddy's age, Draco had made it a point to bring up Potter's lack of parents every chance he had, never once stopping to consider how the other boy would feel.

"Can I call you 'Cousin Draco'?" Teddy asked, suddenly looking nervous.

Draco nodded, a smile coming to his face. "I'd like that, Teddy." he said softly.

Teddy grinned and for a moment his eyes flickered to grey. As they walked Teddy told Draco about his Gran and the little house he'd grown up in. He told him about how it was his first year at Hogwarts and he'd been sorted into Hufflepuff, a fact that he was greatly proud of since his mother and grandfather had also been of that House.

"Some of my friends were staying back for the Easter hols, and they asked me to stay too," he continued. "But I know that Gran feels lonely without me and I love coming home anyways. Sometimes I stay over at Harry's and he lets me eat ice cream before dinner, but don't tell Gran or she'll be mad." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Harry's the best Godfather in the world! He lets me do _a lot_ of stuff that Gran doesn't allow."

Draco laughed. "Now that, I can easily believe."

James called Teddy over to tell him something just then and Potter sidled over to walk next to Draco. "So," he began. "Bonding with Teddy?"

"He's a nice kid." Draco replied. "Surprisingly sharp."

"Yeah." Potter said with a nod. "Gets it from his dad I suppose. Remus was one of the smartest men I've ever met, and the kindest." He sighed. "I try my best but I know I can never be the father that Remus would have been for Teddy."

"I think you're doing a pretty good job of it." Draco said truthfully. "Teddy obviously loves you."

Potter looked embarrassed. "I'm happy he got to meet you today. The Weasleys have practically adopted him but until now, Dromeda was the only one he could truly say was his family."

"I know that feeling." Draco said softly and Potter wisely didn't say anymore. Eventually after ten more minutes of walking, they came to what looked like a staircase going underground. Draco followed Potter downwards, and they came to a row of small gates which Potter opened using a small card.

"Is this your first time taking the tube?" Potter asked him as they passed through the gates.

"I'm not even sure what exactly 'the tube' is." Draco replied. "I take it, it's some sort of Muggle transportation?"

"Don't worry, it's really just a train. The only difference is, it goes underground."

"Is that safe?" Draco asked nervously as Potter led them to stand on a platform beside the tracks. "What if the roof collapses?"

"Can that happen, Daddy?" Al asked fearfully. Potter patted his head soothingly.

"No Al, it's perfectly safe. It's Al's first time taking the tube too." he said to Draco. He lowered his voice so the Muggles nearby couldn't hear. "We could have just _apparated_ to the film hall, but I always try to immerse the children in Muggle culture whenever I can."

"I suppose that has its merits if ever they find themselves unable to perform magic." Draco said and it was obviously the correct response as Potter gave him a radiant smile.

Just then a large train came to a stop in front of them and Potter ushered Draco and the children through before boarding it himself. Unlike in the Hogwarts express, there were no compartments or corridors, instead there were just seats lining the walls. James, Albus and Teddy scrambled into a couple of seats on one side while Potter moved to the other side.

"Come on," he said, patting the seat beside him. Draco settled down next to him with Lily snuggling up on his lap.

"It's a weekday afternoon so it isn't crowded." Potter explained. "I never take the kids during rush hour because Merlin knows, with this lot I'm bound to lose one in the crowd." He sent a fond look over at the children. "They're a handful, but they're _my_ handful."

Draco opened his mouth to say something but the train suddenly gave a jerk forward and they were moving. Draco tried looking out the window but he could only see darkness. He instinctively moved closer to Potter before remembering himself and moving away again.

"Sorry." he mumbled.

Potter shook his head. "It's fine," he said. "It _is_ rather creepy."

"How does the smoke go out if we're underground? Are there passageways to the surface for it to go through?"

"No, this doesn't give out smoke seeing as how it isn't a coal burning train. It runs on electricity."

It all sounded like gibberish to Draco and he didn't ask any more questions for fear of looking like a fool. Instead he contented himself with playing with Lily whilst Potter made polite conversation with some Muggle woman who sat next to him. The bint didn't seem to understand that Potter obviously didn't want to speak to her, batting her eyelashes in a sickly sweet manner. Potter shifted uncomfortably next to him and Draco almost wished the She-weasel was here to put her in her place. The strange thing was, Potter never once told her he was married and surely when faced with unwanted flirtations, anyone would brandish a wedding ring like a battle axe. Come to think of it, Potter wasn't even wearing his ring in the first place!

Luckily for Potter, their stop came up just then and he was able to beat a quick escape, almost leaving Draco and the children behind in his haste to leave the woman behind. Once out of the train, they made their way back to the surface and after walking for a bit longer they came to what Potter pointed out as the film theatre. There was a small compartment at the front and a girl sat in it, passing out tickets in exchange for Muggle money.

"Er, Potter? I don't have any Muggle money." Draco whispered into his ear, feeling unprepared.

"No problem Malfoy," Potter said with a smile. "I figured as much so it's on me."

"What will it be sir?" The ticket girl asked politely.

"Six tickets for Up please. Two adult tickets, two child tickets and my three and one year olds can share our tickets can't they?" Potter said, reaching into his pocket for the money.

The girl glanced from Potter, to the boys, to Draco carrying Lily and then gave a strange smile. "Might I interest you and your partner, in the family ticket prices? We're giving a discount for the first hundred families."

Draco opened his mouth to tell the girl that they were definitely in no way _partners_ let alone a _family_ , but Potter suddenly grabbed his hand.

"We'd like that, yes." he said smoothly, giving Draco's hand a warning squeeze. Draco didn't say anything and after buying the tickets, Potter finally let go of his hand. They made their way inside and then only did Draco round on him.

"What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" Potter asked innocently, heading towards the confection stand.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Draco shot back. "What was all that about us being _partners_?"

"Come on Malfoy," Potter began with a smirk. "It probably looked like that to that girl and I wasn't going to pass up a perfectly good discount. Where's that cunning that you Slytherins are so proud off?"

Draco huffed but didn't say anything else, following in silence when Potter led him into a darkened hall with an enormous screen at the front.

OoOoO

Draco blinked as he stepped out into the sunlight. It was still light out and it took his eyes some time to adjust after being in the dark for so long.

"That was so cool!" Teddy gushed, hopping about. "If we get enough balloons, can we make Gran's house fly too?"

"Ooh Dad, can we?" James asked, his eyes shining.

Potter laughed. "I'm not so sure Aunt Dromeda would approve of that idea."

There was a chorus of 'aww's and 'come on's and Potter lifted his hands in a placating manner. "Hey, we don't need a house to fly. We're wizards aren't we? We have brooms."

"Oh yeah!" Teddy started to excitedly tell James about his flying lessons at Hogwarts and the little boy listened agog.

"Daddy, can we get a doggy like Doug?" Al asked eagerly.

"We'll see Al." Potter replied.

"Draco did you like the film?" the little boy asked him.

Had Draco liked the film? He'd _loved_ it!

"It was alright." he said aloud as nonchalantly as he could.

"Aww Draco, it was awesome. Can't you just admit it?" Teddy joined in.

"Yeah!" James added vehemently.

"It was alright." Draco repeated firmly and the boys stuck out their tongues at him.

"You suck." Teddy said with a glare.

Draco was sure a wicked look had come onto his face. "Well…" he began but Potter suddenly intervened.

"Teddy you do not tell people they suck." he admonished and then turning to Draco he sent him glare. "And you, not another word."

"Whatever do you mean Potter?" Draco was all innocence.

"You know _exactly_ what I mean."

Draco laughed. He'd actually had a nice time today. Better than he'd ever expected a day out with Potter to be.

"Oh and Malfoy?" Potter said quietly as they walked to the nearest apparition point. "I saw you cry."

Draco made sure his face was completely neutral when he turned to face him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." he said, and if he said so himself, he was playing the clueless innocent like a pro.

Potter smirked knowingly. "It's alright, your secret is safe with me."

"I'm still completely clueless here Potter, but whatever."

"Prat."

"Git."

"Arse."

"Knob."

"Ferret face."

"Scarhead."

"Okay, we need to stop." Potter laughed, and Draco found himself joining in.

They eventually came to the apparition point and Draco transferred Lily back to Potter. The little one had fallen asleep towards the end of the movie and he'd managed not to wake her. Draco looked at Potter and suddenly felt awkward. What was one supposed to say in a situation like this? _Hey, thanks for a wonderful experience. I honestly had a nice time with you all. Can we maybe do it again someday?_

Out loud Draco said, "Well this was fun, but I should be getting home now." Potter bit his lip and looked as if he wanted to say something and Draco waited patiently.

"Yeah, it _was_ fun." Potter finally said and Draco wondered why he suddenly felt disappointed.

"Well I'll just be going then…"

"Wait!" Teddy sprang forward and grabbed him before he could make the turn. "You should come over tomorrow for lunch. To Gran's place I mean. Harry is coming too." He stared up beseechingly. "Please?" Draco looked over at Potter and saw that he was smiling now.

"If you want, you should come." he said. "The children will be spending the day at the Burrow though so it'll just be me, but I'm sure Dromeda would love to have you. I have lunch with her every Saturday."

"Well…" Draco considered the suggestion for a moment. It did sound inviting and he found himself eager to meet his aunt. "Alright." he finally said and Teddy gave a whoop and sprang to hug him.

"Thank you Cousin Draco!"

Draco patted his head and to his delight the boy changed his hair to a soft white blonde. "I have one request though," he said to Potter. "Do you think it might be alright if my mother came as well?"

Potter looked grave but then nodded. "I think that'll be perfect."

OoOoO

"Are you sure this is alright? Maybe I should –"

"Mother." Draco sighed. "We're already here and you want to back out already?"

Narcissa Malfoy had always held her head high in the face of adversary but right now she looked like a frightened school girl being sent to the Headmaster for the first time, staring up the walk way to the house with wide blue eyes.

"Oh Draco, what if she doesn't want to see me? I was so horrid to her after all." She wrung her hands pathetically.

"If she didn't want you over, Potter would have _owl'_ d me to let us know. It'll be fine."

A sly look came into his mother's eyes. "So, you're on _owl-_ ing terms now I see." she said with a smirk.

"Salazar Mother! You cannot be trying to set me up with Potter of all people!" he said incredulously.

"I'm not trying to do anything." she replied defensively. "Nevertheless, _if_ something should occur between you and Mr Potter, it wouldn't be the end of the world."

Draco closed his eyes. His mother was one of the most dreadful matchmakers he'd ever known and she was relentless in her pursuits. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this visit.

"Mother, it will never happen!"

"Whyever not? You do find him attractive don't you?"

"Mother!"

"And what's not to like about you? You're handsome, educated, charming. I think you'd make a wonderful match."

"Mother." Draco growled. "Even if what you suggest is true, which it most certainly is not, you're forgetting the rather crucial fact that the man is _married_."

She waved her hand impatiently. "Didn't Luna tell you? Mr Potter has been divorced for a little over a year already. He's a free man."

" _What?_ "

"Oh Draco," his mother sighed. "You really need to catch up on the gossip. You're dreadfully behind. Why I remember when you were at the height of it all, always bringing me tit bits about everything and everyone. I never did find out who you're sources were but I always thought –"

"Mother! Potter. Divorced. You were saying?"

"Oh yes, well as I said, he and Ms Weasley split up early last year. It was an amiable split too and I hear they're still on the best of terms. No scandals whatsoever."

Draco missed the rest of his mother's speech, his mind whirling. So that explained why Potter hadn't been wearing a ring and why he hadn't gone for the film with the Weaslette. He wondered why they'd split if they were still 'on the best of terms'.

"Draco dear," his mother's voice broke into his reverie. "I think I'm ready to go in."

Draco took her arm and led her through the gate and up the short walk to the house. It was a quaint little thing, surrounded by a beautiful garden. The fence surrounding the property looked as if it were just for show but as they had passed the gate, Draco had felt a shiver of magic around him. Apparently there were wards and someone had included his and his mother's magical signatures in them, allowing them to enter without difficulty.

They came to the front door and Draco gave a firm knock. Almost immediately it was opened and for a moment Draco wondered if his Aunt Bellatrix was standing before him. On closer inspection he saw that this witch was taller, and held herself with a grace that reminded him of his mother. While Bellatrix' hair was always a mess and her eyes glittered with cruelty and madness, Aunt Andromeda's dark hair was pulled back into an elegant bun and her eyes were gentle and kind.

He heard his mother take a sharp intake of breath beside him and suddenly she was pushing past him in a rush, her arms wrapping around the older woman with a fervour that Draco hadn't known she had. His aunt returned the hug with as much passion and for a moment all the witches did was to hold each other, sobs muffled into the others' hair. Draco could do nothing but stand uncomfortably by as they exchanged rushed words and tearful smiles.

Eventually they seemed to have calmed down and his mother pulled away, dabbing at her eyes with her embroidered handkerchief. Aunt Andromeda turned to him now and he suddenly felt shy, though Merlin knew why.

"Draco." she said, reaching for his face with a tender hand. She stroked his cheek and then turned to her sister. "Oh Cissy, he's lovely." she said and then took him into her arms as well.

Aunt Andromeda led them into a warm sitting room where Potter and Teddy were playing with Quidditch figurines on the ground. Potter hurriedly sprang to his feet when he saw them, his face flushed with embarrassment but he covered it up by smoothly greeting his mother with a polite, "It's wonderful to see you Mrs Malfoy."

"Likewise, Mr Potter." his mother inclined her head and then turned to Teddy. "And is this my little nephew? My, isn't he a big, handsome boy?" Teddy, who had seemed rather shy from the moment they'd walked in, now seemed to melt at the praise and soon he was chattering to her nineteen to a dozen.

"Well they seem to be getting along fine." Potter said with amusement as he sidled over to Draco. "She's…different from what I expected, I'll admit."

Draco shrugged. "We Malfoys are full of surprises."

"I'm beginning to see that." Potter replied, and Draco turned away to hide the blush that had suddenly come to his cheeks. He blamed it on his mother, filling his head with strange ideas.

OoOoO

"That was so cool! Did you see me, Harry? I did just what Cousin Draco said and I didn't fall off even once!" Teddy exclaimed with a big smile on his face.

Draco sent a smug look over to Potter and the other man made a sound almost like a growl. "I think it's time we headed down anyways." he said tersely, levelling his broom towards the ground whilst staying in the perfect position to catch Teddy should he fall.

Draco decided to stay above as his cousin slowly coaxed his broom down, keeping his wand ready to cast a levitation spell should the situation ask for it. Only when Teddy was standing safely on the ground did Draco follow, landing lightly beside the boy.

"Will you come fly with me again?" he asked imploringly. "Both of you?"

Potter seemed to relax at that and he reached out to ruffle Teddy's hair, a vibrant blue that day. "Sure Teddy bear."

Draco also answered in the affirmative and the child practically flew up the path towards the house, shouting to the world that he had the best godfather and cousin in the world. Draco followed at a more sedated pace along with Potter, the brooms over their shoulders.

"I told you he had to lighten his grip." Draco couldn't help saying.

Potter instantly tensed again. "Lucky guess." he spat.

"Come on, can't you just admit that I knew something you didn't?" Draco cajoled recklessly, even though he knew he was this close to making Potter lose his temper.

"It doesn't make any sense!" Potter burst out. "He kept falling off his broom and you tell him to _loosen_ _his_ _grip_? How does that even work?"

"The problem wasn't that he wasn't holding the broom properly." Draco explained patiently. "It was that his tightened grip made him seem unsure of his movements which made the broom not respond to his touch as well as it should have."

Potter blinked. "That's actually right."

"I do know my fair share when it comes to flying." Draco said in irritation. "Think I got the seeker's position by fluke?"

"Didn't you?"

Draco stared aghast. "You bastard! You actually think that?" He moved his shoulder back and sent the tail of his broom smacking into the side of Potter's head.

"Ow! Malfoy, that fucking _hurt_!"

Draco glared. "I'll have you know, I made the team fair and square. Higgs was due to retire anyways and apart from a couple of third years who could hardly fly a broom straight, I was the only decent flyer who applied for seeker."

Potter had the decency to look guilty. "I just assumed…I mean the brooms –"

"The brooms," Draco interrupted heatedly, "Were my father's way of showing his appreciation that I'd joined the team. I suspect it was Mother's idea though, seeing as how he'd constantly bemoan the fact that I played the 'pansy position of seeker' instead of being a beater like he'd been hoping."

"Hey! The seeker is the game winner more times than not!" Potter cried in indignation.

" _I_ know that, Potter, but try telling that to my father. I already disappointed him enough as it were."

Potter didn't seem to know what to say to that and the rest of their walk up to the house was done in silence, they entered though the back door into the kitchen and to Draco's surprise, found his mother vigorously mixing a bowl of batter, her sleeves rolled up and pretty robes covered by an enormous apron.

"Mother?"

"Draco darling!" His mother looked up with sparkling eyes. "I'm baking gingerbread!"

Draco's mouth fell open. In all his life, he'd never seen his mother cook. They had house elves for that, she'd say and truth be told, he sometimes wondered if she'd ever set foot in the Manor kitchen.

"Cissy, keep stirring. We don't want the mixture to clump." Aunt Dromeda called from where she was rolling out dough. Teddy was standing beside her, using a template to cut the rolled dough into shapes.

"It's quite invigorating," his mother continued. "Takes up more energy than I initially thought. Of course we could always use magic, but Dromeda says that it tastes better when they're made the Muggle way. She said she'd teach me to bake a cake next time!"

His mother looked so carefree as she nattered on about the many things she would make for him when she'd mastered cooking, and he swallowed the lump had suddenly come to his throat.

"That's wonderful Mother." he said in a voice that wavered a bit. His mother eyed him narrowly for a minute before turning to his aunt.

"Dromeda, should I add more flour?"

His aunt paused in her rolling to take a look at the contents of the bowl. "A cup should suffice. You've mixed it beautifully Cissy."

His mother beamed and then turned to him and Potter again. "You boys should wait in the sitting room. We'll bring you some when we're done."

"Would you like us to help you?" Potter asked. "More people might get the job done quicker."

"No need for that Harry." Aunt Dromeda said. "After all, too many cooks spoil the broth. We'll be fine."

Draco also opened his mouth to argue but between the two of them, his aunt and mother shooed them out like a pair of unruly schoolboys. If the barely concealed smirk on his mother's face was anything to go by, it had all been planned.

Once in the sitting room, he and Potter turned to each other helplessly. Without Teddy or the other children there to act as a buffer, what were they expected to do? They were Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy who until quite recently had hated each other's guts. Well, Potter probably had anyways. Draco hadn't really 'hated' Potter since maybe around sixth year when other things had taken priority over school boy rivalries.

In the end, Draco suggested a game of chess and Potter had gratefully accepted the idea. Better to play a game that happened to have little talking involved, than stand awkwardly in the middle of his aunt's sitting room. So Draco pulled out his wand and summoned the chess board which came flying from on top of one of the cupboards. When he turned to Potter, he found him staring intently at this wand.

"So you received it after all." Potter said when he finally tore his eyes away from the hawthorn wand.

"Yeah, I did." Draco tucked the wand back into his pocket. "I er…didn't expect you to send it back." he said haltingly.

"It belonged to you in the first place and it'd already served its purpose." Potter replied with a shrug, taking a seat in one of the armchairs and beginning to set up the board on a small table he pulled in front of him.

Draco took the armchair opposite. "I never did thank you for the wand." he began hesitatingly. "And for everything else you did too."

Potter looked up for a moment with a smile. "It was nothing. Now, shall we begin?"

They chose their sides and soon the game was in full swing. Potter turned out to be a rather abysmal player though so Draco tried to go easy on him, if only to keep the game going on longer. About halfway through the game Potter suddenly broke the silence with a question.

"So where have you been all these years?"

"Well," Draco said, staring intently at the chess board as he contemplated his next move. "I suppose you could say I've been just about everywhere."

"What do you mean?"

Draco moved his queen two spaces and then looked up. "It's rather a long story."

Potter smiled and leant back in his armchair. "I love a good story, and we can both admit that I'm going to lose this game anyways. Might as well stop now."

"Surrendering on you own terms to prevent a humiliating loss? How very Slytherin of you Potter." Draco said with a tilt of his head. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Oh you don't know the half of it." Potter replied with an enigmatic smile. "Anyways let's hear it."

Draco settled back in his own armchair, realizing that Potter was serious. "I suppose I should start at the beginning."

"Yes, most people tend to do that as opposed to beginning at the end." Potter said with a smirk, and when had he even learnt to do _that_ let alone make a snarky remark?

Draco ignored the interruption. "Well, I'd finished my education at Hogwarts and was aimlessly wasting my talents by taking on the life of a recluse. Or at least, that's what my Mother had said." He laughed. "Not to say that she was thrilled when I suddenly announced that I'd be moving to France to complete a Potions Mastery. That was a bit of a spur of the moment decision but I'd always loved potions and thought that a career in it wouldn't be so terrible."

"You genuinely liked potions." Potter said, looking as if he could hardly comprehend the notion.

"Yes, well you might not believe me when I say that my exceptional potions marks had nothing to do with Snape."

"Huh, I always figured he gave you free marks."

"I assure you he may have favoured us in class, but when it came to marking he was probably more exacting on those of his own House than anyone else. He expected us to represent Slytherin House at all times after all." Potter looked even more dumbfounded by this.

"Anyways," Draco continued. "I finished my Mastery but had no desire to return just yet. The professor I studied under in Paris suggested that I travel and gave me a list of Masters I might look up on the way. I'd never really done much travelling before, except for the occasional shopping trip to Paris or Milan with Mother, so I thought why not?"

Draco described his little expedition to Potter who apart from the occasional interruption, listened in raptured silence. He'd visited places he'd never known existed, seen enough exotic plants to send Longbottom into herbology heaven and met Masters who were as brilliant as they appeared to be mad.

"There was this one wizard in Tibet," Draco recounted with a laugh. "He claimed that the only way he could get inspiration was to sit on his roof in the pouring rain stark naked. Unfortunately for me, it had been one such day when I'd come to his lab."

Potter grimaced in sympathy. "Was he old?"

"He makes MGonagall look like a schoolgirl." Draco replied wryly. "Anyways, I somehow ended up staying away longer than expected and suddenly decided my wanderlusting had to come to an end. So I took the first international _portkey_ I could book and lo and behold, I was back. That day you found me with the children had actually been the very day I'd come back. I'd been visiting Luna."

Potter looked pensive. "I knew that Luna considered you a friend, but I'd never known you were _that_ close."

"If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have lasted through eighth year." Draco replied softly. "She's my best friend." He looked Potter unwaveringly in the face when he said this and the man smiled.

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Potter's next question was, and Draco considered how best to answer.

"I left because I needed a chance to be _me_ ," he finally answered, settling on the truth. "I wanted people to look at me and see _Draco_ , not an ex-Death eater, son of Lucius and a disgraced Malfoy."

Potter nodded in understanding. "I know the feeling."

"Do you?" It was Draco's turn to look incredulous.

"You told me about your little journey of discovery, so I suppose it's only fair if I tell you mine in return. You'll see what I mean better if I do. That is, if you want to know."

"I have nothing better to do." Draco had replied with a casual shrug, trying not to show how curious he suddenly was to know more about the wizard seated across from him.

"Let's see," Potter clasped his hands under his chin. "You already know I didn't return for eighth year. Ron and I had been offered free passes into Auror training, even without our NEWTS."

"How typical."

Potter looked sheepish. "I know it wasn't very fair, but I was too eager to join in catching the remaining Death Eaters to care."

"Ah, you're little hero complex."

"Hermione calls it that too." Potter sighed. "So, we joined up and eight months later we graduated from the academy. It took us two years to round them all up but even afterwards, there was always some wannabee dark wizard cropping up on a daily basis. Kept us busy. At the time, I'd also started dating Ginny again."

"Ooh romance, how thrilling!"

Potter threw a cushion at him for that.

"Ginny and I had broken up at the end of sixth year and even after the War, I'd needed time." he'd continued. "Getting back together had been surprisingly easy though and obviously the family had been thrilled, though let me tell you, it is _not_ enjoyable to have the bucket talk given to you _five times_."

"A year later, we got married and two years after that, we had James. I was _terrified._ " Potter said with a wry smile. "I thought I'd never get the hang of being a dad, but it turns out I'm a natural. Diaper-changing happened to be one of my specialties." He laughed. "I don't think Ginny changed a diaper more than five times during the whole of our marriage."

His eyes had saddened now. "I don't know why it happened, but one day I woke up and when I looked at Ginny, her back turned towards me like she always did, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time she'd slept in my arms. After that, it was just one thing after another. I noticed that we never shared those fond looks like Ron and Hermione. We hardly even talked anymore, and when we did it was always about something involving the kids. We'd not even properly made love since the night Albus had been conceived."

Draco unintentionally opened his mouth to ask a question but Potter seemed to have read his mind and beat him to it.

"Lily was the result of too much alcohol coupled with some fumbling in the dark that both of us couldn't even remember the next day." he said with a face devoid of emotion. "I'm grateful it gave me my little angel in the end, but that doesn't make it something I'm proud of."

"Potter, you don't need to continue if you –"

Potter gave a dismissive wave. "It's already been a year now. I can truthfully say I've gotten over it. Though," he had a self-deprecating smile on his face now, "I sometimes wonder if I'd married Ginny just because it was expected. Not to say that I didn't love Ginny, because I did, but I've always wanted a family and the closest I've had is the Weasleys. Being with Ginny felt so _right_ at the start, as if she could give me everything I'd always dreamed of." He gave a shaky laugh. "You probably think I'm an idiot."

Potter looked so vulnerable at the moment and Draco suddenly realized with a jolt that even though he was the Saviour of the Wizarding world, Potter was also just a man. A man who like him had had his life already planned out for him, before he was old enough to even walk, and who wanted to just be himself for once – no expectations. It somehow made him more _real._

Draco surprised himself by reaching across the space between them and taking Potter's hand. He gave it a companionable squeeze, trying to will Potter into cheering up. "If you asked me that ten years ago, I'd probably have said 'yes', but now all I can say is there's nothing stupid in wanting a normal life. Merlin knows you deserve one after all the shite you've been through. Some of which was because of me." Draco finished with a wince, withdrawing his hand and looking down.

"I think we both gave each other grief." Potter spoke up in a quiet voice, and the silence that followed spoke of things left unsaid. Bathrooms and unknown spells.

"Well hasn't this conversation taken a depressing turn?" Draco finally said with a shake of his head.

Potter actually smiled at that. "What would you expect when you take two fucked up individuals such as ourselves? Shall I continue?"

"Do carry on."

"There isn't that much left to tell really." Potter admitted. "Ginny and I got a divorce, and the weird thing was no one made a big fuss about it. Except for the Prophet of course, but they don't count. The Weasleys were wonderful about it all. Ginny moved out and got herself an apartment. We share custody of the children but they stay with me since Ginny's work takes her out of the country often. She's a sports reporter and a bloody good one at that. I quit the Aurors and never looked back. It gave me more time to spend with the kids and I find that not fighting for once is a rather nice way to live."

"You're becoming one of us normal folk!" Draco exclaimed in a mock shocked voice. "Be still my heart, Harry Potter admitting that he enjoys a nonlife-threatening life. Wonders will never cease it seems."

Potter laughed. "You should have gone into theatre. You're practically made for it."

"A missed opportunity I know." Draco sighed. "It's hard being so talented but I bear the burden bravely."

Potter laughed again and Draco found that he rather liked being the reason for it.

"They're ready!" Teddy's excited voice drifted into the sitting room and his body soon followed. He bounded in carrying a plate of steaming gingerbread cookies which he thrust under their noses.

"These are the ones made from Aunt Cissy's batch."

At that moment the aunt in question glided in. "Teddy, didn't I tell you not to run?" she asked sternly.

Teddy put on an innocent expression. "I wasn't running _fast_."

His mother turned to him. "Did you try one?" she asked eagerly, wringing her hands together. Draco obligingly took a cookie off the top of the pile and broke off a piece. He popped it into his mouth and instantly sighed in pleasure.

"I don't need to even feign appreciation in the slightest, Mother. These are divine."

Potter took a bite out of a cookie too and he also voiced his approval. They were both on their third cookies when Aunt Andromeda came in with a tea tray. They all settled down and the tea was conducted with his mother and aunt trying to outdo each other in most outrageous childhood incidents.

His aunt invited them all to stay for dinner as well, but Potter declined, saying that he'd best be getting back to the children who were staying with the Weasel. He left soon afterwards and Draco had shared a strangely awkward goodbye with him. Perhaps they were feeling strange after realizing that they'd shared a rather personal conversation.

He and his mother stayed for dinner, which his aunt ordered from a Muggle restaurant nearby. Draco had eaten curry before when he'd been in India, but it was his mother's first time having it. She instantly loved it and Draco had a feeling the house elves would soon be learning how to make it.

It was late when they finally said their goodbyes and Teddy had long since fallen asleep on the couch. Draco helped carry him to his room and ended up tucking the boy in alongside his aunt. Then he side-alonged his mother back to the Manor. They had hardly been there five seconds before his mother pounced.

"What did you and Mr Potter talk about?"

Draco groaned. "Mother. It's late. I'm exhausted, It's none of your business. I'm going to bed."

"But _Draco_ …"

"Goodnight Mother."

Draco trudged off to bed, his feet dragging behind him. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he was exhausted and it was with a sigh of relief did he finally slip between the covers of his enormous bed. He was already more than halfway towards deep slumber when an image of Potter popped into his head, the look he'd had when Draco had tried to comfort him. With that picture in mind, Draco drifted off to sleep but not before realizing that what he felt for Potter now was definitely more than attraction.

He was well and truly fucked.

OoOoO

Draco was just finishing his lunch when the large owl landed beside his plate. It hooted pleasantly and held up a foot with a parchment tied to it. Draco untied it and gave the owl his last bit of rabbit as a treat. It affectionately nipped at his finger before flying away out the window it had come from. Draco unrolled the parchment and then smiled when he saw that it was from Potter.

 _Malfoy_

 _When you receive this letter I'll most probably be in Diagon alley already. Al and I are on a bit of a shopping spree and for some reason he thought that you'd be helpful in choosing a set of robes for Ginny. He seems to have gotten the idea that you have better taste than me, a fact that I find myself unable to disagree with. Coming directly to the point, if you aren't busy I'd be eternally grateful if you'd join us at Twilfitt and Tatting's. We'll be there by two as I also have to pick up a robes order for Mrs Weasley._

 _Hoping to see you soon,_

 _Harry_

Draco considered the note for a moment. He wasn't sure how he felt about picking out a gift for the Weaslette but he was willing to admit that it would be worth it to spend time with the Potters. He hadn't seen them for almost a week now, and he had nothing planned for the day anyways. Making up his mind, he quickly summoned a parchment and quill to jot down a note for Mother. She was out having lunch with Aunt Dromeda and he didn't want her to go into a panic if she came home to an empty Manor. She seemed to think that he'd pick up and leave again the minute her back was turned, no matter how many times Draco assured her that he was back for good.

He quickly made his way to his set of rooms to change into some casual robes. He hadn't been lying when he'd told Potter that he wore Muggle clothes quite frequently. He'd found that a pair of cotton trousers and t-shirt were a joy to wear when in the comfort of his home, and seeing as how they never got any visitors, there was no danger of being caught in such informal wear. After finally deciding on a set of plain light grey robes, Draco lingered in front of the mirror wondering if he should do something with his hair.

"You look fine." his reflection told him helpfully.

"I know," Draco huffed in frustration. "I just –"

"If he has any taste whatsoever, he'll like what he sees." the mirror shot back with a knowing smirk.

Draco flushed. Just what he needed, his own bloody reflection giving him a pep talk as if he was a schoolgirl out on her first Hogsmeade date. He couldn't even call this meeting with Potter a _date_. For one thing there was the fact that his son would also be present, then there was the whole 'buy a gift for my ex-wife' factor and not to forget the crucial fact that Potter would never in a million years be interested in _him._ Just because he was divorced didn't necessarily mean he played for Draco's team, so to speak. With a sigh Draco headed to the _floo_ , not trusting himself to _apparate_ when his mind was suddenly in turmoil.

Draco exited the _floo_ with a stumble but was able to right himself before he fell on his face. He made his way into Diagon Alley and headed directly to Twilfitt and Tatting's. His mother had been quite fond of the shop and Draco knew it well. When he entered he was instantly thankful to find the shop empty apart from what he recognized to be Potter, crouched in front of a row of robes, his arse in the air. Draco might have felt embarrassed by the fact that he could identify the man by his rear alone, but he was too busy trying to stifle his laughter. He must have been unsuccessful though because Potter turned around almost immediately, a grin coming onto his face.

"You came!" he said with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning and Draco was momentarily stunned.

"Well I couldn't leave you to undertake this demanding task alone." he replied teasingly, making his way to him. "So pray tell, what has the Golden boy on his knees?"

Potter flushed a pretty pink. "You'll find Al is to blame." he replied with a weary shake of the head. He's hidden somewhere in _there_." He gestured to the robes. "I'm surprised your presence didn't lure him out."

Draco crouched down next to him. The robes came all the way to the floor and it was the perfect hiding place for a mischievous little boy. Well, the boy was about to learn that if you played hide-and-seek with a Slytherin, you were bound to lose.

Sending Potter a wink, he raised his voice. "Well Potter, if Albus won't come out, I suppose we'll have to smoke him out the way Mother and I got that pesky rodent out of the broom shed. Do you think the shop owners will be terribly upset when I set fire to their robes?"

The results were immediate.

" _Daddy_!" Albus wailed as he shot out of the robes like a Seeker after the snitch. He practically flew to Potter, who fell back onto his back with Al clinging to him as if his life depended on it.

"Al calm down, Draco wasn't really going to do that." Potter said comfortingly from his place on the ground, shooting Draco a glare.

Al sniffed and sat up on Potter's chest. "You weren't?" he asked Draco.

Draco reached out to pat the child gently on the head. "No Al, I like you too much to turn you into a human bonfire." He smiled. "You'll find that the best way to find someone who is hiding is to scare them enough that they come to _you._ "

Al's face lit up and Potter groaned. "Hide-and-seek will be a terror at our house now. Thanks for that." he said dryly as Draco lifted Al off him.

"I live to please." Draco replied with a bow. He held out his hand to help Potter off the ground. "So, do you have an idea of what Ginevra might want for her robes?"

Potter blinked. "What?"

"You did call me here to help you pick out robes didn't you?"

Realization seemed to dawn on Potter. "Oh yeah! Sorry, I forgot for a minute." he said sheepishly. "Robes, right. Well…" he trailed off

Draco sighed. "Would these robes be for casual wear or for some sort of a fancy occasion?"

"I wanna buy mommy extra pretty robes." Al announced.

"Dress robes it is." Draco said. "Now, does she have a preferred colour? Actually, never mind that. I think a nice lavender would suit her, perhaps with pale pink trimming. Or how about cobalt blue with light blue accents?"

Potter looked completely lost and held out his hands helplessly. "Why don't you lead the way?"

"Yes, I see that it would be for the best." Draco replied with an indulgent smile. "Follow me boys, we have robes to pick out."

OoOoO

"I cannot believe you did that!" Potter said for the umpteenth time since they left the shop.

"What can I say Potter, he had it coming." Draco replied with a shrug.

"You _tripped_ him…"

"Yes."

"…and sent him flying into the robes…"

"That too."

"…and made that shelf fall on his head!"

Draco frowned. "In my defence, at least it was a fairly small shelf. And I was hoping you'd think that was an accident." he admitted.

Potter rolled his eyes. "I used to be an Auror, remember? And anyways, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that if I didn't take drastic measures, that bastard would take the robes."

"They were just robes!"

" _Just robes_?" Draco was scandalized. The robes that they'd eventually bought were utterly gorgeous and would suit Ginevra as if they were _made_ for her. Robes of the richest burgundy with bronze trimmings, that would bring out the vivacity of her hair and the paleness of her skin. Hell, they'd even make her freckles look elegant!

"Potter," Draco began slowly as if talking to a child. "Those robes were _the_ robes for Ginevra, and you're saying that I should have let _Zacharias_ _Smith_ take them?"

"Okay, I'll admit that the fact that you did that to Smith made me want to do a bit of a happy dance back there, and possibly take a picture of the whole thing to show Ron but honestly, all that for a robe! Plus he got there first."

"Yes Potter, I know he got there first. I'm actually pleased that he pulled them out from that corner they'd been shoved in or I might not have seen them, but the fact remains that he did not deserve them."

"Oh come on Malfoy, just because you don't like the prat doesn't mean you do that." Potter argued. "After all, he wasn't buying them for himself. He was getting them for his wife."

"Exactly!" Draco pounced on what Potter had said. "Have you met his wife? No? Well, I ran into her at Flourish and Blotts the other day and ended up helping her find a book about Divination. From our brief interaction I found her to be rather lacking in intelligence, which explains why she'd marry Smith of all people, but making up for it by the fact that she is rather stunningly beautiful. The point to note here though, is that she is almost as blonde as me."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Potter asked impatiently. "Al, don't pull Daddy's hair."

"Potter, we blondes can wear many things, but burgundy is a definite no. It makes us look practically sallow."

Potter stared at him in disbelief. "Oh don't make that face, I was doing her a favour here. I even offered him the robes that I'd been thinking of getting Ginevra. That blue would have looked lovely on Mrs Smith."

"So you're telling me that you were completely justified when you pulled off your little stunt, then snatched the robes from his hands and dashed to have them fitted in the back for Ginny, before finally buying them and dragging us out of there while Smith still lay groaning on the floor?" Potter said in one breath, looking like he could hardly believe his own words.

"Pretty much." Draco replied with a shrug.

"You're insane."

"So I've been told." Draco shrugged again. "We got the robes in the end anyways and Al you'll have one very happy mommy when you give these to her."

Al grinned from his perch atop his father's shoulders. The Potter children seemed to like that particular vantage point. "I want ice cream." he stated with a sweet smile.

Potter looked over at Draco with a grin. "Well, you heard him. Fancy some ice cream?"

Draco nodded, wondering if Fortesque's still sold the sundae he was especially partial to. The ice cream parlour was bustling when they entered but the crowd seemed to part for Potter, and they found themselves at the counter in no time.

They made their purchases and Draco paid this time, insisting that he owed Potter after the film. Then they found an empty table which was unfortunately in the middle of the shop. Within moments, most of the room was staring at their little trio. Al however, was too busy getting the contents of his mint chocolate chip ice cream cone all over his face and shirt to pay them any heed and his father seemed to be not too far from doing the same.

"Potter, you have ice cream on your nose." Draco laughed, handing him a napkin. Potter didn't take it though, instead sticking out his nose for Draco to wipe it off instead. Only after he'd done it had Draco realized that it had been an oddly domestic act.

"So, you think this'll make front page news?" Potter asked once he'd finished devouring his cone. Draco wasn't even halfway done with his own vanilla and raspberry sauce sundae.

"This, as in?"

"Oh you know," Potter waved his hand rather absently and Al's shirt was instantly cleaned. Draco tried not to look too impressed by the wandless act. Potter continued. "The fact that the I'm here eating ice cream with the infamous Draco Malfoy, old school rival and missing for years?"

Draco considered this. "Do you really think it'd make the papers?" he asked.

Potter shrugged, leaning back in his chair comfortably. "It might. I think the Daily Prophet is running out of things to write about me. I haven't done anything even close to heroic in years."

"Ah, the life of a washed out hero."

Potter laughed. "I suppose you could call me that, but I prefer to think of myself as _retired._ "

"You talk as if you're some old crone about to keel over any minute." Draco said with an amused smile.

"Well I'm not as young as I once was."

"Bite your tongue Potter, I'm older than you and I assure you I'm as fresh as the day." Draco shot back haughtily.

Before Potter could think up a response Al gave a loud giggle and flung his cone at Potter's head. Luckily for Potter, he still seemed to have his Auror reflexes and quickly cast a shield spell. Unluckily for Draco, it sent the cone flying straight at him to splatter across his forehead. Ice cream dripped down onto his face and when he'd wiped enough out of his eyes to see, Draco saw that while Al looked suitably ashamed and repentant, Potter was laughing so hard he was in danger of falling off his chair. Draco did the only thing that he could have done in such a situation.

He flung a spoonful of his sundae at Potter's grinning face.

OoOoO

"Draco?" His mother's call rang through the halls and Draco called back to her.

"I'm in the library Mother."

When his mother entered she was holding a newspaper and not looking very happy. Aunt Andromeda was right behind her but she looked more amused than anything else. If the newspaper happened to be the Prophet, then Draco could understand what had sent his mother into a bad mood. They'd long since stopped subscribing to that rag, but Potter had kindly sent him a clipping that morning. He'd laughed so hard, he'd fallen out of his seat.

"Yes Mother?" he asked her innocently now. "Is something the matter?"

Her foot began to tap. Never a good sign. "I take it you haven't the slightest clue about this particularly interesting article?" She held up the paper. "I'm having a lovely shopping expedition with your aunt when I suddenly see _this._ Care to explain?"

"Well, I believe the picture speaks for itself." Draco replied with a smirk. Whoever had taken the picture had done a bang up job indeed. It clearly depicted a chocolate ice cream covered Draco laughing as his vanilla missile hit Potter squarely on the nose, splattering onto his glasses, while Al laughed in the background. The thing that Draco loved the most about the photo was the fact that Potter's irritated frown morphed into a brilliant smile and the beginnings of a laugh could be seen right before the photo panned back to the beginning.

His mother looked furious. "Draco!"

"Mother." he replied pleasantly. "And how nice to see you too Aunt Dromeda."

"Likewise." his aunt said with twinkling eyes. "I must say, you do know how to make a scene."

"It's one of my many gifts actually."

"Draco, I am still here!"

He turned back to his mother who looked as if she was about to stomp her foot like a petulant child. "Mother, I assure you I was aware of that fact." His aunt made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort and his mother shot her a glare.

"Please don't tell me you're _proud_ of this." his mother said incredulously.

"Not proud perse," Draco admitted. "But I don't see what all the fuss is about. Potter didn't seem to mind."

"Oh, so Harry has seen it too?" Aunt Dromeda asked.

"He was the one who told me about it in the first place."

"He's a bad influence." his mother declared with venom and Aunt Dromeda really did laugh at that.

"Dear Merlin, can you even hear yourself Cissy? They aren't children anymore and I think Draco is perfectly capable of choosing his friends wisely." She took the newspaper out of her clenched fist and smoothed it out. "Don't they look like they're having a wonderful, if not rather undignified time?"

His mother's eyes softened a bit as she regarded the picture. "I suppose you're right." she sighed.

"I usually am." Aunt Dromeda replied airily and his mother laughed.

Draco hadn't known his aunt for very long, but he already loved her. She was delightful company and very much like his mother, if you discounted the lack of dramatics that his mother was prone to employing. More than anything though, she made his mother happy. She'd smiled and laughed more in the past few days than she'd done in years, and as Draco saw this difference, he couldn't help feeling like an arse for ever leaving her alone. He was glad Aunt Dromeda was back in her life now.

"So, do you have any plans for the day?" his mother asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs by the window. Aunt Dromeda moved over to one of the bookshelves and began to browse.

"I was planning on having a short read before meeting up with Potter." Draco answered, pushing the book back into its shelf. "We're taking the children to see Luna. She wants our help catching 'tufflepoks by the brook."

"Do tell Luna to join me for tea one day. I miss listening to her talks." his mother said with a fond smile.

"I'll be sure to." Draco promised, sitting beside her.

"So," his mother continued. "How is Mr Potter? I heard you helped him pick out robes yesterday?"

"More like I did the picking out in the first place." Draco laughed. "The man's sense of fashion is very similar to Hagrid's wariness towards beasts. They both don't exist."

His mother didn't say anything to that but after a moment of deliberation she spoke up again.

"Do you fancy him?" she asked bluntly, and if Draco hadn't already been seated, he might have fallen over.

"I'm not asking if you find him handsome," she continued. "That's a bit of a given. What I want to know is if you see a potential partner in him."

"What brought this about all of a sudden?" Draco asked cautiously. His aunt was still browsing but it was clear she was listening intently.

"I know I was pairing you up with him before," his mother admitted with an unashamed shrug. "But it was more of a half-hearted attempt then. I didn't _really_ think you'd go along with it."

"And now?" Draco asked in a whisper.

"Now," she gave a sad smile. "I fear that for once you're ready to give someone your heart and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Mother, you're being ridiculous." Draco said with a forced laugh. "I'll admit we've put aside our differences, but Potter and I are just friends. You've nothing to be worried about, seeing as how nothing will ever happen between us." He abruptly stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now. I'll give Luna your message."

With that he hurried out of the room, but not before he saw his mother and aunt exchange sympathetic looks.

OoOoO

In the fortnight that followed, Draco spent more and more time with the Potters. It seemed that the children requested his presence wherever they went and Draco was only too happy to join them. Potter had turned out to be the type of parent that wanted his children to experience all the joys of childhood, and Draco found himself reliving his own by accompanying them. His father hadn't seen the need for such things but luckily for Draco, his mother had. Sometimes Potter would invite Draco to meet up with them at Diagon alley and then promptly ask him to think up a place to visit. Draco had already taken them to the magical zoo, the museum of magical history and the observatory he had loved as a child. The children had enjoyed these trips immensely but the strange thing was Potter seemed just as excited whenever they visited a new place. Only later did his aunt tell him that Potter hadn't been allowed the childhood one would have expected of the Chosen one. After that, the trips weren't only about the children. Draco wanted Potter to experience everything he had missed as a child and more.

His mother didn't try to bring up their conversation in the library again, but whenever Draco told her he was going out with Potter, she'd get this look in her eyes. The look was a strange mixture of pity and hope and it grated on Draco's nerves. He didn't need her to look at him that way. He didn't want her pity or the looks that she and his aunt exchanged more and more these days. Most of all though, he didn't want these feeling that Potter had invoked in him. Draco was no innocent lamb when it came to the physical aspects of attraction. He'd shagged his fair share of men in his lifetime, some he'd even considered worthy of a long term relationship. Yet it had never worked out. No matter how much he'd enjoyed a man's company both outside and inside the bedroom, it had never lasted more than a few months. But now, Potter made him crave something that was as far out of his reach as the moon.

Draco knew that he had to stop before he fell in too deep, but he was afraid that it was already too late. The times he wasn't with him, Draco's thoughts were full of Potter and the children. He wondered what they were doing at the moment. He recalled the times he'd spent with them. He found himself craving their company more and more. He sometimes wondered if he was addicted. Addicted to something that no potion could cure him of. Even in school, Potter had always caught his attention but now rather than trying to invoke an angry response, Draco would do just about anything to make him smile. Whenever Potter looked over at him with that smile that made his eyes practically sparkle, all he could do was try to smile back as normally as he could, willing himself not to do anything stupid like blush or look at Potter like he was Draco's whole world, or – Salazar forbid – haul him over for a fevered snog.

Yes, Draco should most definitely back down and yet here he was, currently clinging to Potter like his life depended on it, while the Muggle taxi driver drove like one who was intent on ending their lives as soon as possible.

"Malfoy, I think my arm will break if you hold on any tighter." Potter remarked in an amused voice.

"Daddy, is Draco scared?" Al asked, tugging on Potter's shirt.

"Yes he is." Potter replied, shooting him a look. "Even though it's perfectly _safe_."

"I'm beginning to wonder if you know what 'safe' even means." Draco shot back, wincing as the taxi narrowly missed a collision with a bus. "I am never taking a taxi again in my life, and I advise you to at least keep the children at home if you ever feel the need to take one again. Merlin, I think even the Knight bus is safer than this!"

"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous. The Knight bus is a death trap on wheels."

" _This_ is a death trap on wheels!"

"Well the Knight bus – "

"Dad, we're here." James broke in.

Draco practically climbed over James in his haste to get out of the taxi of death. Potter had wanted to visit a Muggle park that day and in a moment of madness, Draco had been persuaded to take his first ever ride in a Muggle car. Needless to say, he wouldn't be doing that again anytime soon!

Potter told Draco to go on ahead with the children while he paid the driver, so he led them into the large park.

"Draco, I'm going to play on the seesaw 'kay?" James said, already making his way to one. Another child was already there and he was willing to use it with James. Once sure that the boys knew what they were doing, Draco turned to Albus.

"So Al, what would you like to play on?"

Al studied the playground gravely, tapping his chin as he no doubt comparing the pros and cons of each piece of equipment. Eventually his eyes settled on the swings.

"There! I wanna play there."

Al dragged him to the swing set and once there, Draco picked the little boy up and placed him in the seat of one of the toddler-safe swings.

Turning to Lily he asked, "Would you also like to take a swing."

The little girl didn't say anything but stared at the swings as if she'd never seen anything so beautiful in all her life, her eyes filled with awe.

Draco laughed. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then." He placed Lily in the one next to Al and then surreptitiously cast a sticking charm on them both to alleviate any risk of them falling out. Lily was already squealing in delight and jiggling up and down.

He was gently pushing them in unison when a woman who reminded him a bit of Professor Sprout, joined them at the swings with a little boy.

"Good afternoon." she said cheerily after giving the boy the initial push. He seemed capable of doing the rest himself. "Lovely day isn't it?"

"Good afternoon." Draco replied politely.

"Hi Mrs Spencer!" Al called from his swing.

The woman smiled at Al and waved before turning back to Draco. You must be a friend of young Harry's. It's so nice to meet you, I'm Alice Spencer."

"Draco Malfoy." he replied, taking her outstretched hand in a firm handshake. Her lack of reaction to his name told him that she was a Muggle.

"I haven't seen you around before. I come here with my grandson Nigel every Thursday and I'm sure I would have remembered you. Your hair is rather distinctive if you don't mind me saying."

Draco gave a small smile. "I don't mind at all."

"It's so nice to meet a friend of Harry's." she continued. "Did you also go to that mysterious boarding school of his?"

Draco's breathe stuttered. Had Potter actually told her about Hogwarts?

Oblivious to his inner turmoil Mrs Spencer prattled on, "It was dreadfully elite wasn't it?"

Draco allowed himself to relax at that. So she just thought that it was some fancy academy. "Oh yes, it was rather an old fashioned school too. We didn't even have electricity!"

Mrs Spencer tutted sympathetically and Draco silently congratulated himself for the proper pronunciation of 'electricity', though he was still lost when it came to understanding what it did exactly. Potter was forever laughing at him when he tried to bring it up claiming that he sounded like a child stumbling over a big word.

"Such a shame about Ginny though," Mrs Spencer gave a weary sigh. "I really don't know what went wrong. They always have and still do make a beautiful couple."

"What do you mean?" The question came out sharper than he'd intended and Mrs Spencer looked at him strangely.

"Well, they may be divorced but I've still seen them here together, and they seem as jovial with each other as they've always been."

Draco's mind whirled. _Still on the best of terms_ , his mother had said and here this woman also thought that the divorce had done little to diminish their regard for each other. He didn't understand. If Potter and the Weaslette were still so close, what difference did the divorce make? He might as well still be a married man and here Draco was, hopelessly falling for him.

"Are you alright?" Mrs Spencer suddenly asked with a sweet motherly concern. "You look rather pale, dear."

"Oh I'm… alright." he tried to reassure her, though she didn't look very convinced.

"Is everything alright?" Potter's voice asked from behind him and he turned to see him standing there with two paper cups in his hand.

"Good afternoon Harry. I was just asking your friend here if he was feeling alright." Mrs Spencer interjected. "He's suddenly not looking too well."

Potter frowned at that and handed one of the drinks to him. "You _do_ look kind of sick. I'm sorry I was late," he said. "The girl at the shop took forever to get our drinks."

"Maybe you should sit down." Mrs Spencer suggested kindly, gesturing to one of the many benches that littered the park.

"I'm fine. Really." Draco replied quickly, alarmed by the look in the woman's eyes. It was the same look he'd seen in his mother's eyes just before she became an overly concerned parent, fussing and coddling as if he were still five years old.

Before Mrs Spencer could make any further suggestions though, her grandson chimed in. "Grandmamma, I wanna go to the slides!" He sprang off the swings and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her along.

"Goodness Nigel, haven't I told you not to pull?" She gave them Draco one last concerned look before allowing herself to be dragged away, calling back, "It was lovely to meet you Draco. Harry, make sure he's alright. Good day to you both."

Potter laughed. "Mrs Spencer can come on as rather strong but she means well."

Draco agreed wholeheartedly. "She was rather amusing actually." He took a sip from his drink and was met with a burst of chocolate and caramel. He sighed happily.

"Salazar, this is heavenly!"

"Isn't it?" Potter's grin widened. "It's my all-time favourite. I'll take you to the café one day. You have to try their brownies. Best in the world in my opinion."

Draco tried to quell the sudden bubble of excitement he felt at Potter's words. It was almost as if he was asking him out on a _date_.

Of course his hopes were quickly crushed when Potter continued. "We should ask Andromeda and your mum to join us. I'd love to see Narcissa Malfoy in Muggle London."

Draco felt stupid, even as he forced out a laugh. Really, he was turning into a Hufflepuff, getting his hopes up over every little thing.

"Draco, you aren't pushing." Al whined, drawing his attention back to him and Lily.

"Come on," said Potter, and to Draco's immense surprise, he took his hand, pulling him closer to the swings as if it were the most normal of things to do. His hand was warm and rather calloused; no doubt he still played Quidditch. It was slightly larger than Draco's own hand and felt capable and comforting. Draco's breathe hitched in his throat and he wanted to snatch his hand back and scold Potter for confusing the shite out of him.

When Potter let go, he wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved. It was rather pathetic actually.

"I'll take Lily, you take Al." Potter said, stepping up behind Lily. "After that we'll take them to join James at the seesaw."

"Alright." Draco replied and he hated himself for still feeling the ghost of Potter's hold on his hand.

OoOoO

" **James** **Sirius** **Potter!** Splash me one more time and you'll have no desserts for a month." Potter threatened, glaring at the five year old.

Draco snickered. Potter was sopping wet with suds in his hair while he was completely dry. He'd wisely offered to wash Lily in the little bathtub that Potter had provided, whilst he dealt with the boys in the actual bathtub. Lily had turned out to be an angel in the bath, sitting quietly whilst Draco wiped her off and scrubbed her hair. The boys on the other hand managed to keep Potter wet no matter how many drying spells he employed.

"It's not funny." Potter said to Draco petulantly. "Next time I'll make you wash them and then we'll see who's laughing.

"Unlike you, I know how to get them to behave." Draco replied smugly, even as he felt a thrill go through him at the mention of a 'next time'.

"You mean bribe them with candies to ensure their best behaviour." Potter said with a wry twist of his lips.

"Sacrilege!" Draco placed a hand over his heart. "That you could think me capable of such a thing."

"So dramatic." Potter sighed, rinsing James' hair. Draco stuck his tongue out at his back and Al giggled.

"Thanks for offering to help though." Potter continued. "Bath time can be pretty hectic and I'm rather tired today."

"It's the least I could do after you invited me for dinner." Draco replied with a shrug. "And I would be surprised if you _weren't_ tired after all that running you did today." He smirked. "You're almost as fast on land as you are on a broom."

"Yeah well anyone would have run like that if they had a demon dog after them." Potter said dryly. "By the way, thanks for doing absolutely nothing at the time. It was greatly appreciated."

Draco laughed. "Really Potter, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't very well cast a spell with all those Muggles around now could I?"

"A quick trip jinx would have sufficed!"

"You shouldn't have provoked the beast in the first place." Draco continued, gently pouring water over Lily's head.

"I thought it was friendly alright."

"Potter, the thing was growling and practically foaming at the mouth. What about that, gives the impression of friendliness?"

Potter huffed. "The owner shouldn't take something like that out in public anyways. Especially to a children's park."

"The doggy was pretty scary." James admitted. "But Dad, you looked funny when you were up that tree."

"Yeah!" Al agreed. "Like a monkey."

Draco looked down at Lily. "Do you think your dad looked like a monkey?"

"Funny Dada!" Lily squealed, splashing the water for emphasis.

"Betrayed by my own children." Potter told the ceiling with a sigh.

"And he calls _me_ dramatic." Draco commented to Lily as he lifted her out of the tub and kept her on the bathroom rug. He gently towelled her off with a dry towel and then wrapped it snugly around her. "Shall I get her into her nightclothes then?" he asked, picking her up.

"If it wouldn't be too much of a trouble." Potter replied gratefully. "I've kept her nightie on her crib. Could you put her to bed too? I'll put these two to bed and then join you." He was already towelling off Al whilst James wiped himself. "I think they'll be asleep as soon as their heads touch their pillows, so boys say goodnight to Draco now."

"Night Draco." they chorused.

"Goodnight boys."

Draco exited the bathroom and headed towards Lily's room, remembering it to be at the end of the hall. Potter had given him a quick tour of the house just before dinner. Draco had been there once as a child but he'd hardly recognized it to be the dank, gloomy Grimmauld Place he known before. Potter had done a wonderful job remodelling and Draco was hoping he could get an invitation for his mother to come see it too.

He found Lily's nightie to be just where Potter had said, and the searched through her chest of drawers for some socks. The weather was mild but there was always the chance of her feet getting cold in the night. He quickly dressed her and then settled her down with a blanket wrapped snuggly around her. His mother had always read him a story before bed but the little girl's eyes were already drooping so Draco decided not to. She had to be exhausted after playing all afternoon.

On a whim, he bent down and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "Goodnight Lily." He was just pulling away when she suddenly said something in a voice almost overcome with sleep.

"'Night Dada."

Draco froze, his eyes going wide. "What?" he whispered but she was already asleep.

Draco drew back slowly, bringing a hand to cover his mouth. He didn't know why but he was happy. So happy. He'd never known that a single word could make him feel like he'd been given the world. Could make him feel worthwhile and wanted and _loved_. He gazed down at the sleeping child and the feelings that swelled up inside him almost scared him with their intensity. Before he knew it he was smiling widely and was still doing so when he walked out of the room and promptly collided with Potter.

"Careful there Potter." Draco said, reaching out to steady the other wizard. "Wouldn't want to hurt yourself."

Potter regarded him curiously. "What's got you in such a good mood all of a sudden?"

"Oh nothing." Draco said dismissively. "Just happy with the world in general."

"Uh huh." Potter looked sceptical but made no further comment. He went into the room instead and gave Lily a kiss before coming out again, closing the door quietly behind him.

"The boys are asleep too." he said as he led Draco downstairs again. "James was already snoring before I'd even shut the door. So," he paused for a moment. "I guess you'll be wanting to head home now? You could always spend the night you know. We have plenty of spare rooms and I can lend you some pyjamas."

"Much as I'm tempted to accept your offer, I really should be getting back." Draco said regretfully. "I could always fire-call Mother to tell her I was staying, but I don't like to do that at such short notice. She's probably still waiting up for me as it is."

"She's a good mum." Potter nodded with a small smile.

When they were both standing on the porch, Draco turned to Potter. "I had a wonderful time today." he said somewhat awkward. No matter how much time they spent together, the goodbyes always ended up stilted and awkward "And again, thank you for dinner."

"It was nothing." Potter replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry you had to have mac n' cheese like the kids."

"I'll admit that was my first time having it, but I liked it." Draco assured him.

There was a silence and Draco wondered why Potter suddenly looked nervous. "So…" Potter began and then trailed off, biting his lip and looking away at the dark street. Draco found himself once again waiting patiently for him to continue – something he found himself doing a lot these days – but Potter just continued to stare at the street.

"I'll be going then," Draco said finally. "Goodnight Potter." He turned to go down the steps but suddenly found himself being hauled back and shoved up against the wall.

"Potter!" Draco gasped, the breath practically knocked out of him. "What the –" He wasn't allowed to continue as Potter's mouth descended on his own and then all Draco could do was wrap his arms desperately around the man's shoulders and kiss back for all he was worth.

Strong arms snaked around Draco's waist and pressed him even more firmly against the wall. Potter's hard body pressed up against him from the front so that there wasn't a hair's breadth between them and Draco shivered at the feel of Potter against him, angling his head to deepen the kiss as he urged Potter to take control. When Potter's tongue licked along the seam of his lips, he opened up obligingly, accepting Potter into his mouth with a happy sigh. Their tongues slid against each other in wet heaven and Draco moved one of his hands to bury in Potter's hair, finding it surprisingly soft and delighting in the appreciative groan Potter gave when he ran his fingers through the raven locks.

Their mouths separated for a moment to gasp in much needed air before crashing together again even more fiercely than before. Draco nibbled on Potter's lower lip before taking his tongue back into his mouth once more and sucking on it hard. Potter moaned in earnest now and pressed his hips hard against Draco's. This brought the evidence of his arousal in contact with Draco's, and the feel of that hard length pressing against his own had Draco breaking away from the kiss to give a ragged moan, his head falling back against the wall with a dull thud.

Potter seemed to take this as an invitation and moved to place hot, open mouthed kisses along the length of Draco's neck, moving upwards until he came to the particularly sensitive patch of skin behind his ear. Draco shuddered as Potter began to torturously lick the spot before sucking it into his mouth, reducing Draco to a whimpering mess. He found himself rutting helplessly against Potter, not caring if he showed his desperation, his whole body thrumming with desire. Potter ran his hands along the length of Draco's back until he settled on cupping his arse, pulling him harshly closer and holding him in place as he grinded deliciously back against him.

Draco panted loudly and was shocked to find himself moments away from cumming in his pants like a schoolboy. Gripping Potter's hair with both hands, he dragged him back for a kiss, swallowing his moans and whimpers with relish. Draco's whole body felt like it was on fire and he was so close now. _So_ _close_. Just a little more and –

Suddenly there was a loud crash from the house and they sprang apart as if shot. Draco slumped against the wall, not trusting his trembling legs to hold himself up anymore. He looked up to find Potter in a similar state, leaning heavily against the porch railing.

"I…" Potter's voice was still thick with desire and he paused for a moment to clear his throat. "I'd better see what that was." he said in a more normal voice. "Maybe you could…" he nodded hopefully towards the still open door and Draco was tempted to accept his blatant invitation.

"I think it's best if I leave." Draco said instead. He needed time to sort out what had just happened between them. This changed everything.

Potter looked stricken and Draco hastened to explain. "It's not to say that I don't _want_ to. I assure you I do." he said with a not too subtle nod at the front of his trousers that were tented rather impressively. "But I fear that if I don't leave soon, you won't be checking up on the children anytime soon as I'll end up ravishing you right here on this porch."

Potter ran a hand through his mussed hair. "I'm sure no one's hurt or else I'd be hearing crying now. I can check up on them alright, but afterwards…"

"Afterwards, you will take yourself off to bed. _Alone_ ," Draco added when Potter got a hopeful look of his face. "And most probably dream about a sexy blonde wizard with rather exceptional acting skills."

Potter let out a frustrated huff of breath. "Fine." he groused, and Draco laughed.

"Come on Potter, surely you can control yourself for one night. I'm not easy you know."

Potter instantly looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, you're right. I'm acting like a randy teenager." He stepped forward and took Draco's hands. "I should take you out to dinner first, at a swanky restaurant. Anywhere you want. We could – "

"Potter. The children, remember?" Draco interrupted with an amused smile.

Potter looked torn and suddenly leant in to give him another kiss. Unlike the previous one, this was gentle and sweet. It didn't last long, but it had Draco trembling when they pulled away.

"Goodnight Draco." Potter said softly with a smile, letting go off his hands and taking a step back.

Draco smiled back shyly. "Goodnight…Harry."

Potter… _Harry_ smiled even wider at this and gave him one last lingering glance before going back inside, the door shutting behind him.

Draco stared at the closed door for a moment, resisting the urge to go in after him. He was still painfully hard but he'd have to contend with a nice long wank when he got back. Eventually he shook himself and walked down the steps and out of the wards, glancing back for one final look at the house before _disapparating_.

OoOoO

The following day found Draco shopping in Diagon Alley once more. He'd gone in search of a belated birthday gift for Teddy even though his aunt had told him it wasn't necessary, seeing as how he hadn't even known about Teddy's existence when his birthday had passed. Still, Draco had wanted to give his new cousin something special and really, a child could never have too many gifts now could he? Eventually he'd come across a book on constellations and the myths behind them. Ever since Draco had told him about the constellation for which he'd been named, the child had shown an interest in astronomy – emboldened by their trip to the observatory later on. He was sure the book would be much appreciated.

He glanced at the shop windows idly as he passed, contemplating whether his mother would like some pastries for tea. He'd just made up his mind to visit the new patisserie that had opened beside Flourish and Blotts when two small forms bludgeoned into him with the force of a couple of bludgers.

When he'd gotten his breath back however, he wasn't the least bit surprised to see James and Albus standing in front of him.

"Draco!" Al cried and leapt forward to hug his leg.

James grinned up at him too and jauntily said. "Fancy meeting you here."

Draco smiled fondly at the two of them, feeling a sense of déjà vu about the whole thing. To think, the last time they'd assaulted him like this, he'd wanted to shake them off and beat a quick getaway. He opened his mouth to ask them where their dad was when another voice spoke up.

"Boys, I told you to stay right beside me the whole trip."

Draco turned but instead of Harry, he found himself face to face with Ginny Weasley. Lily was in her arms and Draco was struck by how she really was the spitting image of her mother. Ginevra's eyes were fixed sternly on her sons, but they suddenly shot to him as if only then realizing who was with them.

"Malfoy?"

Draco inclined his head as politely as he could. "Ginevra. How lovely to see you."

The redhead's eyes narrowed and Draco sincerely hoped she wasn't going to start screaming at him, or hexing. He still shuddered at the mere thought of her infamous Bat Bogey hex.

After a moment of deliberation, Ginevra's brow smoothed out and she visibly relaxed. "The children have told me a lot about you." she said. "Harry too."

Draco didn't know what he was expected to say to that so he kept his mouth shut.

"Harry also told me that you helped him pick out those dress robes." she continued, a smile beginning to form. "I have to say, you have wonderful taste and the robes are beautiful. I'm planning on wearing them for the upcoming quidditch fundraiser hosted by the Puddlemere United team manager. Will you be attending?"

Draco blinked. "Er…I wasn't invited."

"Oh tosh, it isn't exclusive like that. Anyone is free to come. There'll be free food anyways." she said with a laugh.

"Well who am I to turn away free hors d'oerves?" Draco found himself saying back.

Ginevra studied him for a moment before nodding her head. "Huh, he was right. You _have_ changed." she said cryptically and Draco wondered what she meant.

Lily suddenly waved her arms in the air, straining away from her mother's embrace. "Dwaco. **Dwaco!** Dwaco _up_!"

The situation – which was already surreal to begin with – got even more surreal as Ginny Weasley instantly placed the squirming girl in his arms, not hesitating even for a second.

"Dwaco." Lily said in a pleased voice, rubbing her cheek against his own as if she were a nuzzling kitten.

"So Malfoy, have to be somewhere or would you like to join us?" Ginevra asked in a genial tone. "We're headed to get some perfume for my mum and I'm sure you'd be able to find some to suit Mrs Malfoy as well."

Draco was nodding before he even registered it. Apart from wanting to spend time with the children, he found that Ginevra wasn't as bad as he'd once thought her to be. She was being _nice_ to him for one thing and had even trusted him with her daughter. To his surprise he realized that given time, he could one day see himself calling her a friend.

"Great! Let's be off then, shall we?"

She took James' hand and led the way down Diagon. Al held Draco's hand and they followed close behind. As they walked, James and Al began to tell him about their plans for the coming Saturday.

"We're having an Easter party at the Burrow." Al said excitedly.

"The Burrow?"

"That's the name of my parents' house." Ginevra explained helpfully. "They get lonely now that we've all moved out so we try to have these family functions whenever we can. Mum just likes the opportunity to cook for a large crowd again."

"Yeah, everyone's coming." James put in. "Teddy too, cause he's part of the family. We're gonna have an egg hunt and play games and eat lots of chocolate."

"Do you like chocolate Draco?" Al asked.

"Well who doesn't?"

"Who doesn't what?" The amused voice that cut in was one that Draco knew all too well. It had featured in his dreams last night after all.

"Dad's here!" James whooped and ran to his father at once. "We thought you were busy with Aunt 'Mione."

"She let me off early." Harry replied with a smile. When his gaze landed on Draco though, the smile changed into one that spoke of many things that weren't exactly appropriate for company. Draco felt his body heat up instantly.

"I see you all ran into Draco." Harry said to the crowd in general.

Ginevra joined in then. "He was accompanying us to that perfume shop you told us about. Mum's been wanting a new scent for ages."

"Hey, are you getting anything for Arthur too? I found this terrific Muggle shop that sells antiques. I bet we could find something for him there."

"That sounds great. How 'bout we go after this? I'm done with the rest of my shopping anyways and we could have lunch in Muggle London too."

Harry grinned. "The Italian place by the bakery?"

"The Italian place by the bakery." Ginevra said with a nod and a returning grin.

"You're going to have to transfigure your robes again." Harry laughed.

Ginevra gave him an affectionate swat on the arm. "As long as _I_ do it this time, instead of you, I should be fine. Merlin Harry, couldn't you have transfigured them into something even remotely attractive?"

Harry gave a careless shrug. "I thought you looked simply ravishing." he said with a wicked smile.

The two began arguing good-naturedly, walking a bit in front of Draco and the rest. Al continued to quiz Draco about his preferred chocolate while James butted in with his personal opinion on each of the mentioned chocolates. Draco however was hardly paying attention to either of them.

He was too busy staring at the couple in front of them. They were still ribbing each other and gave off the feel of two individuals who knew each other as well as they knew themselves. It was obvious to any onlooker that they shared a lot of history. At one point Ginevra offered Harry a bag of some sort of sweets. He took one out and bit it, chewing it contemplatively before offering the half-eaten piece to her to try. Draco found himself almost blindsided by the sudden jolt of jealousy that shot through him.

They'd reached the shop now and even inside, Harry stuck to Ginevra's side. Lily had wanted to be with her father too so she was now seated on his shoulders. The boys after realizing that Draco wasn't in a conversational mood, had also drifted to their parents and as Draco watched the family interact, he felt an ache inside him. Harry and Ginevra were laughing over something while Lily played with her mother's long hair, tickling Harry's face with it. James and Al were trying to be helpful by bringing over perfumes to smell and they'd tug on both their parents' sleeves to get their attention. Draco watched from the other side of the shop as one would watch a film.

Where exactly did _he_ fit into this happy picture?

Suddenly it was too unbearable. Draco had been a fool to think that he could ever have that. Harry may have been attracted to him but once they'd scratched that itch, would he even want him anymore? Draco couldn't replace Ginny Weasley. He couldn't even try to fill her place in the children's lives. What did Harry want him around for when he had her? She was obviously a wonderful mother, attentive, loving, playful. Watching them as he was, he felt like a complete outsider. He had no place here. He had no right to even be witnessing this little tableau. He felt like an intruder and all he wanted to do now was leave.

Making a score of hasty excuses that he couldn't even remember later on, Draco practically ran out of the shop. He hurried away, blindly bumping into witches and wizards alike. Many of them cursed at him and even shoved back, but Draco was numb to it all. He plodded on until eventually he came to a more abandoned part of the alley. The shops here had long been out of business and no one was there at the moment. Only then did he lean against a nearby wall and take a shaky breath.

"Draco, are you alright?" Harry was suddenly in front of him, his eyes filled with concern.

"What are you doing here?" Draco snapped, wanting to get away from Harry as fast as he could, but finding himself unable to move.

"Draco, you don't look well." Harry reached out towards him and Draco instinctively flinched back.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded again, and Harry looked rather taken aback.

"Well, you rushed out so suddenly." he said with a frown. "I was worried that something was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong." Draco answered a bit too quickly.

"Draco…" Harry reached out again and Draco moved out of his reach.

'Everything is fine!" he said in an overly cheerful voice. "Now you know I'm alright, you can get back to the children and Ginevra."

Harry looked even less convinced now. "Draco, something is very wrong here." He took a step closer and Draco took two steps back. "Why won't you let me touch you?"

Draco drew himself up and steeled himself, adopting an expression that would have done Lucius proud. "Is there any need for you to touch me?" he asked in a voice that he hardly recognized as his own. It was so cold.

Harry drew back as if he'd been slapped. "What?"

"You think you can take such liberties as touching me whenever you please, Potter?" Draco continued relentlessly.

"Oh so we're back to Potter now?" Harry's eyes narrowed.

"What else am I to call you?" Draco sniffed disdainfully, watching as Harry tensed.

"You didn't seem to have much of a problem last night." Harry snapped.

Draco gave an insolent shrug. "We all make mistakes."

Harry stared. "You think – you think it was a _mistake_?"

"Yes, I do." This time, Draco wasn't pretending. He _did_ think it had been a mistake. Getting too familiar with Harry had been a mistake. It had been a train wreck waiting to happen.

Harry was trembling now, in anger or hurt Draco had no idea. Regardless, he recklessly plodded on, taking on a jeering tone. He was starting to feel giddy now. "What's the matter Potty? You don't look too well."

"Will you stop that?" Harry grit out through clenched teeth.

"Stop what?"

"Stop acting like the Malfoy I hated from school!" Harry fairly yelled.

Draco's heart ached for him at the moment. All he wanted to do was tell him that it was all an act and let Harry take him into his arms and comfort him. Instead he set his jaw and erased all emotion from his face.

"Was there something you needed?" he asked blankly.

Harry seemed to shrink before his eyes then, the anger leaving his face in an instance as a lost expression took its place. "I don't understand." he finally said helplessly. "I don't know what I did."

Draco took a fortifying breath. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. "If you don't need anything, then I'm leaving." He tried to turn away but Harry grasped his arm tight enough to bruise.

"Draco _please_."

"Potter, get your hand off me before I hex it off." Draco was working on autopilot now. It was almost as if he was trapped in a body that wasn't his own. One that had a cold face and a cruel voice and said things that hurt Harry.

When Harry let go his eyes had gone blank.

"You should come for the Easter party on Saturday." he said in voice devoid of emotion, and what Draco wouldn't do to get the warmth back into his voice. "The children would love it if you came."

Draco gave a curt nod. "I'll come for the children then."

Harry turned away without another word, but Draco caught a glimpse of a face filled with as much anguish as he felt. He watched as the other wizard strode away, disappearing out of sight without ever looking back. Draco blinked frantically, his eyes starting to smart.

OoOoO

When Saturday arrived, all Draco wanted to do was bury himself in his covers and never come out. Unfortunately for him, his mother had other plans. She sailed in with a cheerful 'Good morning' and then proceeded to aggressively strip him of his covers.

"Bloody hell Mother, for all you knew I could have been naked under here!" Draco yelled, struggling to pull the sheets back.

"Oh darling, it isn't anything I haven't seen before."

" _Mother!_ " Draco cried, appalled and still struggling valiantly. "Salazar, how are you this strong?" His mother must have cast some sort of strengthening spell on herself for it only took one more pull for the covers to get away from him.

"Good, you're up." she said pleasantly. "Now get dressed, it's almost two in the afternoon. What a time to get up." She shook her head disapprovingly.

Draco groaned, his head pounding from the bottle…alright, _bottles_ of firewhiskey he'd downed last night. He'd been hoping it would knock him out into next week.

"I've left a hangover potion for you downstairs." his mother continued and then swept out with a flourish.

Draco lay on his back and covered his eyes with his arm. How like his mother to provide relief but keep it far enough away that he'd suffer whilst getting it. He dragged himself off to his ensuite bathroom and cast a quick breath-freshening and teeth-cleaning charm on his mouth before stripping off the pants he was wearing and sliding into the shower. A cold shower helped to wake himself up a bit and feeling more human, he exited the bathroom with a towel slung low on his hips, another one he used to wipe his head.

He made his way to the wardrobe and contemplated what he should wear. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be dressed in robes or Muggle attire.

"You should dress in _these_."

Draco spun around so fast his towel came loose and he was just able to grab it before his bits were revealed. Luna smiled complacently from her place by the door, holding up what looked like a pair of jeans and shirt.

"Well don't look so surprised." she said, coming in and taking a seat on his bed.

"You know, people usually knock before entering a room." Draco replied, taking out a pair of pants before closing the wardrobe door.

"Yes, I suppose they do." Luna said serenely. "Anyways, do get dressed or we'll be late."

Draco picked up the clothes and examined them. They seemed to be in his size alright and the short-sleeved button down shirt was in a lovely shade of green. The exact green of Harry's eyes in fact.

He shut his own eyes for a moment and then shrugged on the shirt without another thought. He reached for his pants but then turned back to Luna, still sitting placidly on his bed, her eyes trained on him.

"Er Luna?"

"Yes Draco?"

"I need to put on my pants."

"Oh yes. It would be best if you didn't go commando today." Luna said seriously. "The jeans may be a tad bit tight and I'm not sure if you'd want the shape of your nether region to be visible."

Draco sighed. "Luna, could you please leave the room so that I may put on my pants?"

"Of course, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Luna vacated the room and Draco found himself chuckling. It was a good thing Luna was going with him today or he didn't know how he would have survived the day. He dragged on the jeans and found them to be tighter than he was accustomed to but still comfortable enough not to make any adjustments to.

When he came out, Luna was waiting for him and she held out a small vial for him. Draco fell on the hangover potion like a starving man being given food and downed it in one gulp, hardly even noticing the horrid taste. Relief was almost instantaneous and he sighed happily. Perhaps the day wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

"Cissa told me that you quarrelled with Harry."

Oh no, the day was going to be much worse.

"Luna, I don't know what my mother thinks she knows about my personal life, but I'd rather she kept her nose out of it." Draco said stiffly.

"She's just concerned." Luna returned in a soothing voice. "You know she hates it when you're sad."

"I'm not sad."

Luna's eyes spoke volumes as she took his arm and led him down the stairs. "When Cissa told me it was serious this time, I admit I didn't believe her. But then I _saw_ you." Her gaze saddened.

Draco looked away. Luna had this way of making him feel like he was on display. Sometimes when he caught her staring at him it was as if those pale eyes could see right through him, shifting through all the protective layers he'd erected around him until she was looking straight at his soul, bruised and tarnished as it was.

She didn't say anything more at the moment but also didn't let go of his arm. It was Luna's way of telling him that she wouldn't pry whilst also letting him know that she was here for him always. It was one of the things he loved the most about her. How she always knew exactly what to do. She never asked too many questions or said too much but just gave you what you needed at the moment.

When they reached the foyer Draco suddenly wondered where his mother was. He couldn't seem to hear her about and was considering summoning a house elf to fetch her when Luna spoke up.

"If you're looking for Cissa, she said she'll meet us there later."

"I see." said Draco absently. "Wait, what?" He turned to her with wide eyes. "Mother was invited too?"

"Didn't she tell? Andromeda introduced her to Molly. If I'm remembering properly, it happened last week."

"No, she did not tell me!" Draco wondered what else his mother was keeping from him. Suddenly he felt much more worried about just how much she actually knew about what had happened between him and Harry. His mother had known something was up when he'd rushed home after their confrontation, but for once she hadn't pried. She hadn't asked about Harry afterwards though so he'd known that she had an idea about what was troubling him. Having an idea was one thing, but if Harry had told Ginevra about what had happened, she might have told Mama Weasley and if she knew, it was almost assured that his own mother knew too.

"Draco?"

He snapped out of his frantic musings and turned to Luna.

"Molly and Cissa get on better than you would imagine." Luna told him with a smile. "I'm glad. Molly's always been so kind to me and I've always wanted her to see Cissa for how she really is."

Draco considered this. It was hard to imagine simple, wholesome Molly Weasley getting along with sophisticated Narcissa Malfoy, but he supposed stranger things had happened. And if it meant his mother had a new friend who would stick by her – for he knew Molly Weasley to be as loyal as they came – well all the better then.

"I suppose if Mother is happy…" He gave a shrug.

Luna looked pleased. "You've matured splendidly!"

"I should hope so, seeing as how I'm a man nearing his thirties." Draco laughed.

"That shirt really does look lovely on you." Luna commented as they walked down the driveway. They could always have _apparated_ from the Manor itself, but Luna always enjoyed the walk down to the gates. She said it always left her invigorated for some reason.

Draco looked down at the shirt for the briefest of moments before looking up again. Luna's pale eyes had a knowing look about them. "Most colours look good on me." he replied, trying for a flippant tone that came out sounding too forced. "I like what you're wearing today though." he said sincerely. Luna looked lovely in a pale yellow spring dress, her hair tied pulled back into a thick braid with flowers woven in.

"Thank you. Do you like my earrings as well?" she asked, tapping one of the carrot-shaped earrings with her pinkie.

"They look delicious."

"That's good. I was considering wearing the turnip ones, but I thought the purple would not go with my dress. Rolf picked it out for me." she added, her face taking on the slightest of blushes.

Draco stared. He'd never seen Luna blush before. "Luna, are you seeing someone?"

"Well, he's only a friend right now, though I wouldn't mind more." Luna admitted, flushing even more.

"You must introduce me to this mysterious Rolf." Draco said with a delighted smile. If there was a man who could make his sweet Luna blush like that, he must be very special indeed.

"I will." Luna promised. "He's out of the country right now, but when he's back you both can come over for dinner. He's a magizoologist and is currently on one of his expeditions."

"I can't wait to meet him."

They'd reached the gates now and as they stepped through them, Draco felt his nerves coming back to him. Pretty soon he'd be faced with a houseful of Weasleys, not to mention Harry would be there.

"Shall we go?" Luna asked kindly, seeming to sense his dilemma. "The Burrow is not too far from my house, as you might know. I'll side-along you."

Draco nodded mutely and with a squeeze and a pop, they were standing in front of a tall house of the likes that Draco had never seen before. It looked more like parts of many houses mashed together actually and he wondered if magic kept it standing since it looked like it would topple over at any moment. He was tempted to back off now, seeming to finally realize that he'd be entering _Weasley_ territory. Before he could make his escape though, Luna was already dragging him to the front door. She knocked loudly on it and took a step back.

Almost immediately running footsteps could be heard from within and the door swung open with a 'pop' to reveal a small army of what had to be Weasley children, if the freckles and red hair gave any indication.

"Who is it?" a voice called from somewhere inside and the Weasley matriarch was soon before him, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Ah, if it isn't young Malfoy."

In a panic Draco turned to Luna but the witch seemed to have disappeared. In fact, now that he thought about it, the 'pop' he'd heard just as the door opened had sounded suspiciously like the sound of _disapparition_.

"Well don't just stand there." Mrs Weasley said with a quirk of her lips. "Come in child."

As Draco stepped into the house, he made a vow that best friend or not, Luna was in for it.

OoOoO

"Fred, stop pulling your sister's hair! Louis, you cannot drip paint all over Molly's dress! Teddy, get Hugo away from the window this instant! Good god James, what are you doing to Lily's face?!"

James guiltily dropped the Muggle markers he was using to draw slugs on his sister's cheeks. Teddy managed to grab Hugo before the boy went tumbling out the soon-to-be closed window, and Fred ceased in his hair pulling long enough to throw a small stuffed cat at Louis' head. It caught him unawares and the can of paint he'd been holding went flying into the air, covering all the nearby children as well as the wall in purple paint.

Draco rubbed the bridge of his nose in anguish, coming to the conclusion that children were evil beings indeed. How he could have once found them cute, he had no idea.

"That's it," he said to himself. "I'm done. I can't do this anymore." Was this the punishment he was finally receiving for all the fucked up things he'd done in his youth? Well, consider himself punished.

He turned to the children who were quiet for once as they regarded him. "Has anyone told you that you lot are terrors? Menaces. The stuff of nightmares!"

Rose frowned. "That isn't a very nice thing to say Draco. Mommy says to never say things that could hurt people's feelings."

Draco bit back a scream. Just what he needed – a lecture from Granger's three year old daughter. As if the adult wasn't bad enough, he had to now contend with a miniature version too.

"I think he's angry." Fred told James confidingly.

"Really Fred, what gave you that impression?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"Well…"

"It was a rhetorical question!"

"What's a –"

Draco made a loud explosive noise – a strange mix of a growl and a scream – which made the children stare at him with wide frightened eyes. Draco felt like a complete arse. He sighed, running a hand through his hair that probably looked a real mess.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper." he finally said. "Let's just say the past few days haven't been good for me."

"What's wrong?" Al asked, his voice laced with concern.

Draco gave a weak smile. "Nothing for you to worry about." he said reassuringly but the children still looked sweetly concerned.

"But," he continued, an idea coming to mind, "If you still want me to feel better, perhaps you could listen to what I have to say?" He felt pretty good considering he was trying to manipulate children – some of which were still in nappies.

The children nodded their heads gravely, all except for Teddy who seemed to be trying not to laugh by stuffing his fist in his mouth.

"Good. Now, could we start by cleaning up the room? Pick up your toys please; your parents will be back any moment now."

Draco let out a sigh of relief when they complied without a protest. He took a seat on the window seat and leant his head against the window pane as he watched them tidying up. When Mrs Weasley had invited him in as if he were an old friend he'd felt severely off-kilter. She'd proceeded to exclaim about how thin he was and enquired on his eating habits. Before he could answer with a 'yes, I do eat three times a day', she'd sat him down in the kitchen and placed a plate of stew in front of him. He'd been unable to refuse and having slept through breakfast _and_ lunch, he'd found himself absolutely famished.

As he'd eaten, Mrs Weasley had puttered about the kitchen chattering away about Merlin knew what. He thought she'd said something about radishes? But he wasn't too sure, having been too busy trying not to groan in pleasure after each spoonful of stew. It had been divine. He'd been finishing up when the children trooped in. They'd disappeared for a while but eventually they had come back, this time including Teddy and the Potters. Introductions had been made and then somehow he'd been roped into babysitting and shooed to the childrens' playroom.

Apparently Luna had offered to babysit the children as their parents were still busy and were due to arrive only in time for the party. The party, which was not supposed to start for another hour and a half in fact, something that Luna had kindly failed to mention. Draco now knew that it had all been a trap and he was torn between admiration for the decidedly Slytherin tactics Luna had employed, and outrage for being tricked in the first place. He had a feeling his mother had played a role in the ploy as well

He found himself smiling now at the earnestness with which the children went about their work. They seemed to sincerely believe that they were doing this to cheer Draco up. Lily and Hugo had toddled over to Teddy and he was pointing out the pictures in the book that Draco had gifted him. As Draco had predicted, Teddy loved the book and now it kept the little ones distracted and out of the way of the others.

"All done Draco." Dominique announced in satisfaction after they'd completely cleared the floor of all the toys. The paint still remained though so Draco pulled out his wand, removing it from the walls and the children.

"Good children" he said, pleased. "Now what should we all do until your parents come?"

"Quidditch!"

"More painting!"

"Let's bury Albus in the garden!"

" _Hey_!"

Draco held up his hand for silence. Once it was given he tapped his chin with his wand. "From what I understood, most of those suggestions would cause a mess again. Why not do something for quiet?"

"Booooring!" Louis called out and Fred snickered beside him.

"How about I tell you a story?" Draco tried again.

"That's still boring." Fred declared and then turned to Louis and James. "Come on, let's go play in the garden."

James shot Draco an unsure look but still turned to follow his cousins. Draco raised his voice. "I suppose you don't want to know about the time I was attacked by a ferocious, mad Hippogriff?"

The girls gasped and even Teddy looked up from his book. The trio by the door froze in their tracks, turning slowly.

"Well?" Draco smirked.

It took only a few seconds for all the children to be seated placidly in front of him. Teddy had also come over and Lily and Hugo toddled over to be taken onto Draco's lap. Draco got himself comfortable and then began, feeling thoroughly in his element now.

"So it was my very first Care of Magical Beasts class." he began. "All us third years had been asked to meet Hagrid near the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"We've met Hagrid!" James interrupted excitedly. "He's giant!"

"Well he _is_ a half-giant after all." Draco said with an amused smile. "Anyways, it turned out we were going to be looking at a Hippogriff." He took out his wand and quickly conjured up a puff of black smoke which he shaped into a hippogriff. The children ooh'd and ahh'd in apparent appreciation.

"So Hagrid told us a bit about the beast and then suddenly asked us to _pet it_! Mind you it was stamping its paws and looking like it wanted to make us its dinner." He made the smoke hippogriff also stamp around in agitation. "Of course in the end it was Potter that went up to the beast and managed to pet it and after that he even went for a ride on it!" He conjured up a smoke Potter and made it get on the hippogriff before he sent them both whizzing about the room. The children cheered in delight.

"Daddy actually did that?" Al asked in delight, his eyes shining like the most dazzling of emeralds. Draco had to force himself to look away from them.

He nodded solemnly. "He did indeed. Of course, the trouble started after he landed." Here he managed to hold back a wince. Thinking back, it hadn't been one of his finer moments.

"Let's just say that I did something rather foolish. The first thing we were taught about the beasts was that they were extremely proud creatures. One of my friends compared them to me actually." he said with a rueful smile. The memory of Pansy telling him this was bittersweet now.

"Hagrid warned us to be respectful around them and not to do anything to insult or anger them." Draco continued. "But see, I was peeved at all the attention Potter was getting and thought that if he could do it, why couldn't I? So I walked up to the beast and made the grave mistake of calling it a 'great ugly brute'. It didn't take it too well."

"What happened?" Fred's eyes were like saucers.

"It gave one of the most terrifying shrieks I'd ever heard before. I'd been turning to smile at the rest of the class but quickly turned back when I heard it. And the hippogriff was _right_ _in front of me_." He made his smoke hippogriff stalk over to the children who shrieked and tried to hide behind each other. "And then –" he paused for dramatic effect. "It pounced!" His smoke hippogriff sprang forward and the children scrambled away, half-screaming and half-laughing.

Draco laughed and then vanished the hippogriff. The children came back to their places in front of him.

"Were you alright?" Little Molly asked fearfully.

"Oh Merlin, no. It caught me right on the arm. If Hagrid hadn't stepped in after it slashed me, I might not be here today. Our matron Madam Pomfrey was able to heal it in the end but I still had to wear a sling."

"Do you have a scar?" Louis asked eagerly, but Draco shook his head.

"I told you, Pomfrey healed me so I don't have a scar or anything but if she hadn't…" He shuddered before leaning forward. "I could have lost my whole arm." he said in a stage whisper. The children recoiled, though Fred, James and Louis did say "Cool!"

"It must have been really scary." Al said, coming forward and laying a small hand on Draco's knee.

"It was." Draco answered truthfully.

"Do you have any more scary stories?" Victoire asked.

Draco chuckled. He had enough scary stories to write a book, but most of them were certainly not appropriate for the children. The things he'd seen could give them nightmares for years.

"Well, I can tell you about the time I found a ghoul in my attic. I was only eight and let me tell you, it was not fun."

After that Draco was able to keep the children entertained with innocent stories of his childhood and lower years at Hogwarts. They always listened in respectful silence, save for the occasional question and seemed to drink everything in. His storytelling was punctuated by his smoke figures and after the initial hippogriff story he kept his characters remaining in the room so that it was filled with all sorts of creatures ambling about.

At one point he saw Victoire trying to unsuccessfully plait her hair and offered to do it for her. In school he'd often had to help style Pansy's hair when she grew bored of her bob every once in a while. He'd always had an eye for detail and such things that involved style or beauty often came easily to him – a fact that Lucius had absolutely hated. Yet another 'pansy trait' of his.

Pretty soon all the girl wanted their hair styled, so while he continued to relate his stories, Draco found himself plaiting and clipping and tying. He made sure not to do anything permanent though, knowing that their mothers' would have a fit otherwise.

He was just finishing up with the last of the girls – Rose – when who should suddenly yank the door open and stride in, but Weasley, his wand drawn and a fierce scowl on his face. When he found Draco busily plaiting his daughter's hair he stilled in apparent shock, his wand hand lowering.

"What the bloody hell is happening in here?" he barked after seemingly finding his voice.

" **Language**!" A voice called from behind him and pretty soon his wife had also joined them, her curls tamed into a rather pretty bun that made her almost unrecognizable for a moment. She too seemed stunned when she took in the scene before her.

It was Hugo who snapped her out of her stupor when he gave a delighted squeal from his place atop Draco's head. Teddy was seated right behind him and he'd known the toddler had no danger of falling off and getting hurt so he'd allowed him to remain where he was.

Weasley turned to his wife with a helpless expression. "It's Malfoy." he said as if he could hardly believe his words. "Malfoy's sitting on the ground of the playroom and he's plaiting Rosie's hair. And Hugo's on his head _._ And he's _wearing Muggle clothes_! Did I mention he's sitting on the ground?"

Granger visibly shook herself and then smiled at Weasley. "Yes, I believe you already mentioned his seating arrangement." She looked sharply around the room which was still filled with smoke animals and creatures and then turned her gaze on the children. The scene before her looked harmless enough in Draco's opinion. The girls were still huddled around him, examining each other's and their own hair with the hand mirror he'd conjured up. The boys were also sprawled nearby as he'd been in the middle of a tale about the time a peacock had chased Greg around the gardens. Lily was still on his lap though she looked like she was about to doze off, one chubby hand holding tight to his shirt and of course Hugo was still camped on his head.

Granger opened her mouth to say something but Ginevra suddenly bustled in and Draco's heart sank, knowing that Harry wouldn't be too far behind. He really should stop calling him 'Harry' even if it was in his mind, but after that… _night_ , he couldn't see him as anything else.

Ginevra's face broke into a brilliant smile as she too stared around the room. "The room looks amazing! Draco, gosh did you do all this?"

"Is everyone alive in there?" Yet another voice called from outside the room and the remaining Weasley twin sauntered in with a dark skinned woman who Draco recognized as one of the Gryffindor chasers, Angelina Johnson.

The twin Weasley gave a low whistle as he took the room in. Roxanne rushed over to him and began to show off her hair which Draco had done in small braids before tying it all back in a low ponytail.

Ginevra gave everyone in the room a smug look. "I told you." she said plainly.

More voices came from the hallway and Draco sighed. It was like a Weasley reunion was happening right here in the playroom. Sure enough two more Weasley brothers strolled in, the pompous one who he remembered as being headboy, and the one that worked at Gringotts. Draco winced as he took in the man's scarred face, though the scars did nothing to take away the fact that the man was gorgeous. Draco blinked. _Huh, a handsome Weasley_.

Two more women entered after them and… bloody hell, was that the Beauxbaton's champion from his fourth year? The veela who all the boys had been raving about. She'd actually married into the Weasleys?

The veela sniffed in disdain as she looked down at him but then her eyes fell on the pretty buns he'd made from her daughters' hair and a delighted smile came to her face. Draco's face heated up. He may have been gay as they came but even he felt his heart stutter at the utter radiance of the woman before him.

" _C'est magnifique!_ "

At this point Draco thought it best to get to his feet. He moved Hugo to his shoulders and stood, Lily still nestled against him. The Weasley brood stared at him and truth be told, it was rather terrifying. Just when he thought the room couldn't get more oppressing though, Harry stalked in.

Draco's breath hitched as he took in the man before him. Not too long ago he'd had that mess of hair tangled in his fingers and those stunning eyes looking at him with such _heat._ Those capable arms holding him close as Harry claimed him with his mouth alone. Draco trembled at the memory.

Harry was taking in the scene with an unreadable expression, eyes softening when he looked at the children but when they looked at him… Draco took an involuntary step back at the purpose in those eyes. Salazar save him, Harry wanted to _talk_.

"Well, it's getting rather cramped in here so perhaps we should all go downstairs?" Granger's crisp tone suddenly cut through the tension and Draco was able to breathe easier.

"Come along." she continued briskly and shepherded everyone out as if they were all children – Harry included. When Draco made to follow though, she held up a hand with a small smile. " _Draco_ , you can join us downstairs after you finish up with Rose's hair. It's looking lovely already and afterwards you must show me how you made these smoke figurines so solid."

Draco sent her a grateful look, not missing the compassion in her eyes. She probably didn't know what had gone down between him and Harry, but she was a smart witch and anyone who'd been in the room must have felt the weird energy crackling between them. This was her way of allowing him some time to regain his composure and he was humbled by her help. First Harry, then Ginevra, Molly and now Granger – they treated him with kindness even after all he'd done.

"Thank you." he said, and was not ashamed when his voice broke.

Granger smiled again and came forward. "I'll just be taking Hugo then." she said as she took her squealing son off Draco's shoulders. "I won't try to take Lily since Ginny says she's quite taken by you."

"My Dwaco." Lily said in a firm voice as if agreeing with Granger's statement.

She laughed. "Don't worry sweetheart, he's all yours."

With that she left the room and Draco sat back down with a thump, his legs suddenly feeling weak. Rose regarded him with a searching look.

"Draco, are you sad?" she asked, cuddling up next to him.

He gave a shaky laugh. Sharp as a tack this one was. "Why would you think that?"

"'Cause of the way Mummy was looking at you." she answered seriously. "And, you're eyes are sad." She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek below one eye. Draco leant into the touch.

"Has anyone told you that you are a very smart little girl, Rosie?'

"All the time." she answered nonchalantly, and Draco laughed.

OoOoO

Draco heaved a weary sigh as he saw Harry making his way towards where he was standing alone. The unrelenting bastard had his mouth set in a hard determined line and Draco quickly darted over to where his mother was chatting with Fleur, almost bowling over George in his haste. It was too troublesome to think of them all as 'Weasley' so he'd taken Hermione's advice and started calling them by name, though he still continued to call her husband 'Weasley'. When her prompting had made him try out 'Ronald', they'd both given exclamations of disgust and Weasley had begged him never to call him that again lest he be sick. Draco was all too happy to oblige and Hermione had relented with a muttered " _Men_."

"Draco dear, I was just telling Fleur about your old French tutor." his mother said when she saw him. "Apparently she is one of her distant aunts."

" _C'est vrai._ My dear aunt _Marie_." Fleur replied. "Per'aps you would like to meet 'er again?"

Draco had been rather fond of her actually so he nodded. " _Oui, merci beaucoup_." He shot a covert look around and saw that Harry had given up the chase and was now sulking in a corner. If Draco hadn't been so relieved, he might have laughed at the petulant look on his face.

Fleur looked delighted now. "Eet is so nice to see an Englishman speaking French as eet should be spoken. Me, I have been trying to teach Bill for years now and yet zat man still cannot say ze simplest of things. His accent, eet is horrible!"

"Well I have the unfair advantage of having learnt French from a very young age." Draco said in Bill's defence. "I'm sure your children are quite capable of speaking in French even though they normally speak as any English children would."

"What you say is also true." Fleur sighed. "Ze rest of ze family is no better, though 'Arry does make an effort."

As the conversation threatened to veer towards a topic he could not discuss with a calm face, he politely excused himself to get a drink and hurried off again. This time he really did bump into George though, causing the man to spill his drink all over the floor. Mortified, Draco tried to back away but ended up slipping on the spilt drink. He would have had to face the indignity of landing on his arse if George hadn't stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his waist, the result being that it gave the impression of him dipping Draco.

He was laughing as he set Draco to rights and then cleaned up the mess with a swish of his wand. "Really Malfoy, if you wanted to dance, all you had to do was ask." he said, his eyes twinkling.

Draco blushed as he saw that most of the room had heard the comment and were regarding him with varying looks of amusement. Though Harry looked like a veritable thunder cloud.

"You've quite charmed all the Weasley women." George continued, casually leaning against the wall. "I think my daughter's already planning to marry you."

"Oh." Draco didn't really know what to say to that. "Sorry?"

George laughed again. "It was a joke." he smirked as Draco flushed again. "Merlin, you're so serious. Loosen up a bit old chap."

Draco swallowed. "I'm sorry… about Fred." he blurted out and then he could have kicked himself for it. He had no idea why he'd just said that.

George tilted his head. "Are you?"

"I – I never knew him."

"No you didn't."

"But –" Draco swallowed again. "I _am_ sorry that you lost your best friend. I know any losses I had can't add up to what you've gone through, but I do know how it feels to lose someone you care about. To feel incomplete and lost."

George didn't say anything but gestured for him to go on.

"Okay so, after the War, the public weren't very accepting of us Malfoys." Draco gave a bitter laugh. "It was expected so I wasn't too concerned about it all. When I came back to Hogwarts for my eighth year, the only other Slytherin who came back was Greg. I think he only came back for me actually. It was strange not having Vince with us, and Greg seemed lost without his friend. He left after the first week of school. Said he couldn't do it and that he was sorry. I didn't try to stop him and we sort of lost touch after that, though we still _owl_ on occasion. He's married now, has three children and another one on the way."

"What about Parkinson and Zabini?" George asked. "Ron said you all were pretty close too."

Draco drew a shaky breath. "More than Greg or Vince, _they_ were my best friends. I suppose you could say that they were what Hermione and Weasley are to Ha–Potter. The day after my trials, I received two letters from them. Pansy's was smudged and soaked in tears. She said that her father had threatened to disown her if she continued her association with me. It was bad enough that she'd tried to give Potter up to the Dark Lord and he didn't want anything else soiling the family name. He always was a cantankerous old bastard. She couldn't do anything but obey him. If she was cut off, she'd be penniless and homeless and knowing Parkinson Sr., he'd make sure that no self-respecting wizarding family ever gave her the time of day. She'd lose everything."

"That's horrible." George looked sick.

Draco shrugged. "Your family is an exception, but most Pureblood families are just as vicious. Blaise's letter was also smudged and I think his hand had been shaking when he wrote it. He expressed his condolences for my father and said that his mother didn't really care about what we'd done in the War. For all her liberal ways, Ariana Zabini could be as loyal as they came. However, he said that he had to be there for Pans and if Parkinson Sr. found out that he still spoke with me, he'd ban Pansy from seeing Blaise too. There was nothing else to be done. After Pansy's mum died, we'd both made a pact that whatever happened, we'd always protect her. I'm pretty sure they were in love with each other too."

George nodded. "They got married a few months after Harry. It was splashed all over the papers and it came as a bit of a surprise as we'd thought Parkinson was madly in love with _you._ "

Draco gave a weak smile. "So I let them go, and haven't heard from them since. Mother probably hears from Mrs Zabini but she knows not to mention any of it to me." He blinked. "I've said rather a lot, haven't I?"

George pushed himself off the wall. "I'm a pretty good listener no matter what anyone says. And thank you for sharing it all with me. I think you _are_ sorry."

Draco let out a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding. George suddenly gave him a hard smack on the back, causing him to stumble a few steps forward.

"You're alright Malfoy." He suddenly glanced at somewhere behind him and gave a conspiratorial wink. "Don't look now, but you might want to run. Harry's on his way over." And with that he was gone.

Draco cursed his luck and wondered if it would be acceptable to hide in the loo for the rest of the afternoon.

OoOoO

Draco was busy arranging plates of buns and sandwiches on the long table they'd set out on the lawn. The others were either setting up the tables and lawn chairs or helping to carry plate after plate of food out of the house. Molly seemed to have made enough food to rival the Hogwarts welcoming feast. He was just finishing up when he felt a hand on his arm and he swung around at once, assuming that Harry had finally caught him.

"Don't shoot, I'm unarmed!" Ginevra cried, holding up her hands in surrender.

Draco snorted, turning his attention back to the table. "You shouldn't sneak up on a man."

"Well you shouldn't have assumed that I was Harry."

Draco turned to face her so fast his head spun. She met his narrowed gaze with an unwavering one of her own. He sighed.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much. Just want you to stop acting like an idiot."

" _Excuse me_?"

Ginevra scoffed. "Oh please, don't play dumb Draco. Do you really think no one has noticed that you're avoiding Harry as if he's the plague? I don't know what happened between you two but you need to stop running away and face him head-on."

"I don't believe it's any of your business." Draco replied coldly.

"You bet you lily white arse it is!" she replied hotly, poking him hard in the chest. "As you're friend – and yes, we are friends now, so it's no use putting up a fuss – I have every right to tell you when you're doing something that could potentially ruin something beautiful!"

Draco didn't say anything but stared at her mutinously. Her gaze softened a bit.

"You know," and her voice was gentle now. "It's okay to fall for Harry. I for one, can easily understand why you would."

Draco stared in shock. It was one thing for there being suspicions about his feelings for Harry and a completely different thing to hear it being voiced out so blatantly.

"It's kind of obvious that you're both head over heels for each other." she continued. "All you have to do is let go and let it happen."

"Would you, of all people, really encourage this?" he asked shakily.

Ginevra smiled reassuringly. "The children _love_ you! You're all they talk about. For the past few weeks it's always been 'Draco this' and 'Draco that' and 'When will we see Draco again'. I don't know what you did, but they're utterly charmed."

"And Harry," she shook her head. "I haven't seen him smile this much in _years_. All anyone has to do is mention you and he instantly perks up. I swear if he had a tail, it would be wagging nineteen to a dozen. Draco, you're so good for them and all I ever want is to see them happy." Her voice brooked no argument. "I may not be married to him anymore and I may not be inlove with him, but Harry is still my family and I love him. So stop hurting him and stop hurting yourself over some stupid reason – because I'm pretty sure whatever you're worrying about is not anything serious."

Draco was stunned. "I –"

Ginevra gave him a friendly push. "Harry got frustrated with you avoiding him so he went to get some apples from the orchard." She pointed to a small path leading into a copse of trees. "Go get him."

Draco shot the smiling witch a grateful look and made off.

OoOoO

When Draco found Harry, he was leaning back against a large apple tree, a half filled basket on the ground beside him. His eyes were closed but as Draco approached him they shot open, widening marginally when he saw who it was. Draco felt some of the courage leaving him as he was subjected to Harry's intense gaze but rallied himself valiantly, drawing strength from Ginevra's words. He would tell Harry exactly how he felt about him. However as usual, Harry beat him to it.

"Draco, I know you want nothing to do with me but you _will_ hear me out!" he burst out before he could try to get a word in.

"Harry –"

"No! You're going to shut up and listen to me or I swear on my life, I'll cast a fucking _silencio_ on you!"

Draco shut his mouth with an audible click. Harry looked like a man possessed and would likely go through with any threats he made now.

Seemingly satisfied that Draco wasn't going to speak, Harry nodded. "Come here." he ordered and Draco obediently came to stand in front of him. Harry started babbling at once.

"I don't know what I did wrong! I'm so confused and angry and hurt, and it's like my mind is in a mess. This whole thing was crazy to begin with I know. Ron thought I'd finally cracked when I told him that you were going to the movies with us and when I kept meeting you he even suggested seeing a Mind Healer. And at first I thought this was just about getting over stupid school rivalries and the kids liked you so I thought what the heck, I might as well hang out with you. But you just had to go and be _nice_!"

He looked so indignant that it was all Draco could do not to burst out laughing.

"Couldn't you have just been a prat?" Harry continued angrily. "You just had to be all friendly and understanding and sarcastic in the most refreshing way possible, not to mention being a wet dream walking! Do you know how hard it was not to jump you the first time I saw you wearing those bloody Muggle jeans? I was practically _drooling_."

"I –"

Harry gave him a fierce look and he obediently shut up again. "And then we kissed and it felt like I was dying all over again but this time I never wanted it to end, and you called me _Harry._ " He looked pained now and his voice had lost all traces of anger. "You called me Harry, and you looked at me like you actually cared. Like you wanted me as much as I want you and I was stupid enough to hope. And now? Now I think I'm falling in love with you, you're all I ever think of and it hurts so fucking much when I'm not with you. But you made your feelings all too clear and I get it. After all, how could someone as beautiful as you love me? Yeah, I get it and I –"

Draco shut him up the only way he could, pouncing on Harry and crashing their mouths together so hard that their teeth clashed painfully. At first Harry was frozen in shock but he soon melted into it and kissed back with just as much abandon. They were both panting and uncomfortably hard when they broke away and Draco knew he was grinning like a complete loon.

"You are an idiot." he said, giving Harry a quick peck on the lips. "But then so am I."

"Wha…?"

"You silly man, it's me who should be wondering how someone as amazing as you could love me back." said Draco, rolling his eyes at Harry's dumbstruck expression. "And yes, before you ask, I also have feelings for you. Pretty intense feelings actually, but as you'll soon come to know, I'm dreadfully paranoid and tend to blow things out of proportion. Luckily for both of us, your ex-wife is an interfering harpy and was able to talk some sense into me. Actually I should really get her a fruit basket or something as a thank you gift. Mother always says that –"

Harry kissed him again and Draco sighed happily. It seemed like everything was going to be alright after all. In fact – Draco gasped as Harry's hands found their way under his shirt, smoothing over his back before dipping into his jeans and digging shamelessly into his arse cheeks – it seemed like things were about to get even better. However, just when their antics were about to cross over to best-conducted-in-the-bedroom-and-not-where-all-the-world-can-see, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Potter children.

"Eww, they're _kissing_!" James shrieked, and started making gagging sounds. "Gross Dad!"

Harry hurriedly pulled his hands out of Draco's pants and they each took a sheepish step away from each other, trying to surreptitiously adjust themselves. James put Lily down from her place in his arms and began to pantomime a rather intense vomiting fit. Al however was watching them with a look of pure joy.

"Mommy says that people only kiss when they love each other." the little boy said in a delighted voice.

Draco smiled and came forward to scoop the child up as Harry took Lily. "You're mommy is a very intelligent witch." he said and Al threw his arms around his neck to give him a tight hug.

"Does this mean you're gonna be our other daddy?" he asked in a whisper.

Draco looked at Harry for support and found him watching them with a soft smile on his face. He turned back to Al. "I'd love to."

OoOoO

Harry held his hand as they walked back to the rest of the party. James had gotten over his anti-kissing fit and stated gravely that while he shared Al's sentiments when it came to Draco becoming a part of the family, he would not want to see any more 'yucky kissing', so could they kindly not do it in front of him again. To tease him Harry had swiftly leant over to give Draco a quick peck and James had screamed in outrage and took off back to the others.

When they emerged from the path they were greeted by cheers all around, as well as a couple of catcalls and whistles. Draco could see his mother and aunt standing beside Molly and all three women looking on proudly, his mother even pulling out her handkerchief to dab at her eyes. George sidled over and started ribbing Harry at once, teasingly asking when the wedding would be. Harry laughed even while his face went bright red. Ginevra was standing with her sisters-in-law and she raised her glass in a strange salute, blowing Draco a kiss before nudging at Luna who had a serene smile on her face.

Looking around at the boisterous scene before him; the children running amuck all over the lawns like little savages, Weasleys everywhere he turned, Draco couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be.

"Come on Draco!" James yelled. "The Easter hunt is about to begin!"

Harry grabbed his hand, pulling him along as he rushed after the children. "Here's the plan. We find some eggs, eat some chocolate, get the kids home and in bed in less than ten minutes, and then…" He leant in so that he could whisper huskily into his ear. "You're all mine."

Draco smirked. "Does this plan involve a bed?"

"Oh most definitely."

"Well then, I humbly accept your invitation."

OoOoO

 _Epilogue_

"Stop pushing Lils!"

"Ouch, that's my foot you twat! Watch where you're dropping that trunk."

"Honestly, haven't you both heard of shrinking charms?

"Sod off Al-bore."

Draco sighed before turning to his husband who had a similar expression of weariness. "Were we honestly counting the days for the term to end? I already want to send them back."

Harry laughed. "Come on Draco, you know the holidays will practically fly by and then you'll be begging them not to leave you."

"That was one time Potter, and I was drunk!"

"That's Potter-Malfoy to you." Harry replied with a cheeky grin and leant to kiss him on the cheek.

James groaned. "Honestly, we just got back and you two are already all over each other. Don't you get enough shagging done when we're at school?"

Lily smacked him smartly on the head with her hand. "Stop bothering them. Just because Alyssa Smith won't give you the time of day doesn't mean you have to whinge at anyone who has a successful love life."

"I wasn't whinging!"

"Oh you were so whinging." Al called from halfway up the stairs.

James hurried after his brother, his trunk levitating haphazardly behind him and Lily followed him, still going on about James' unsuccessful dating portfolio. Harry went up after them, wanting to make sure that they wouldn't start fighting. They'd re-plastered the walls and he obviously didn't want damages their first day back.

Left behind, Draco went down to the kitchen to get their customary welcome-home milkshakes. Kreacher had already left them ready on the table so all he had to do was lift the cooling charms and carry them back up with him. He reminded the house elf to make a fresh batch of sugar cookies too. Ginny would be along for supper and her twins simply adored them. Their father wasn't too far off in his love for them either, and Harry often wondered aloud if Daniel was such a quick Seeker because he practically ran on sugar.

In the living room, Draco placed the milkshakes on the coffee table in front of the couch and then set out a plate of brownies. He got himself comfortable on the couch and waited for the others to join them.

It was a Potter-Malfoy tradition of sorts for the family to sit down at the end of each school year and discuss the events that occurred. They'd been doing it from James' first year and it looked like it would continue on until Lily graduated. The children were all keen letter writers – James surprisingly being the most attentive, sometimes sending them in the space of a few days, but Draco personally loved these little family bonding times. Sometimes he could hardly believe that this near perfect life was actually his and just sitting together with them, talking about menial things like House points and detentions, helped to make it feel _real_.

"Papaaaaaa!" Lily sang as she pranced into the room, her brothers right behind her.

"Can't you just call him 'Father' like the rest of us?" Al asked with a roll of his eyes. "We aren't little kids anymore."

"But I'm used to 'papa' and it sounds so much more _romantic_."

"It's at least preferable to James' thankfully short-term use of 'pops'." Draco said with a shudder at the memory.

"Oh I don't know," Harry smirked. "I thought it had some charm to it."

Draco sniffed. " _You_ would."

They all settled down and Draco passed around the brownies. As promised, Harry had taken him to that Muggle café – _without_ his mother and aunt – and it had quickly become their place in Muggle London. They always stopped by to get a bag of their chocolate brownies on the way to pick up the children.

"Oh I've missed these." Al groaned after taking a bite out of his one. James also said something though it wasn't exactly understandable with his mouth crammed full of one whole brownie.

Lily gave him a disgusted frown. "Could you be any more uncouth James?"

Harry sent Draco a bland look. "She really is your girl."

Draco smirked. "I know."

"So, I suppose I should start off the annual Potter-Malfoy family Hogwarts discussion." Albus began self-importantly. "Not beating around the bush, the wonderful House of Ravenclaw took the House cup this year!"

Draco and Harry gave the required round of applause and Lily patted him on the back. James scowled.

"I swear those swots cheated this year." he groused.

Albus smirked. "Even if we had cheated, you brawny Gryffindors would never figure out how we did it."

"Hey!"

"It's true." Harry said with a shake of the head. "Unless you have a Hermione."

"Well at least Gryffindor took the Quidditch cup!"

"With Slytherin close behind I might add." Lily interjected. "We were second in House points too. Probably would have won if Patrick Finnegan hadn't lost all those House points when he accidentally set the dinner table on fire."

" _What_?"

"In his defence though, he was trying to charm his pumpkin juice into rum and it somehow exploded."

Draco nudged Harry. "Like father, like son." he said and Harry laughed.

"Ooh ooh, Jamie tell them about what you, Fred and Louis did to Peeves!"

Draco listened indulgently as James took to the floor with a flourish. Lily sat beside him and as of habit she gripped his shirt with one hand, leaning comfortably against him. He placed a soft kiss on her head. It'd been her first year at Hogwarts and he'd really missed her.

"Hey Papa?" she whispered so that only he could hear.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"When I was walking around the Lake with my friends…" She blushed prettily. "I fell in a hole."

Draco blinked and then felt his lips curve into a wide grin. "You know what your Dad and I always say." He turned to look at Harry, listening agog to James' tale, Al commenting from the side. "A lily in a hole is a sign of good things to come."

 _Fin_


End file.
